Alive
by In Fair Verona
Summary: [Complete] After Season 3, Alex and Tess show up, looking for the gang. Even though Alex hates Tess, he needs her to find Isabel. But things change, and so do feelings. Max/Liz Subplot. Resolves Khivar Loose End.
1. Ch.1

Disclaimer: I don't own Alex, Tess, or any of the Roswellians, and anything else Roswell-y. I wish I did, but I don't have the money Ebay's asking for!  
  


-**  
**

  
Alex walked into the practically deserted town of Roswell, New Mexico. He could hear the short blonde trailing after him. Stupid bitch. Now Alex, was a gentlemen, a nice guy, a good guy . But that stupid girl took everything he ever had away from him. She made his life a living Hell, and yet somehow...she got sent up to Heaven with him for blowing up an FBI facility, probably killing hundreds more people. _Anything for Baby Zan!_ Alex mocked in his head. Now, he knew what Maria had meant, a long time ago. About getting mixed up in this alien _crap. _  
"Alex wait!" Tess called out from behind him. And now, ever since Tess had found him, she had been begging Alex for forgiveness. Well, she killed him. Why should he forgive her? "Alex, they're not in Roswell, why won't you listen to me!" Tess wailed.  
"Because you're a lying whore." Alex muttered. "You're probably trying to trick me again, send me off on another wild alien goose chase! Well, not this time, I'm going to find Isabel."  
"I can promise you, Alex, they're not here." Tess sighed. They reached the Crashdown Cafe. "No! Alex, don't go in there!" Tess said, running to the door and blocking his way. Alex glared at her. "Alex you're dead. I know it's my fault, but the Parkers and everyone else in this town doesn't know that, and they don't know you're alive. At least they don't know I'm dead." Tess said. "Look, you can hear everything going on inside, I'll ask Mr.Parker where Liz is, and you'll hear the true answer. They're not in Roswell anymore. None of them, okay?" Tess asked. Alex didn't say anything. "I'll take that as a yes." Tess said. She walked into the shadows of the cafe and running her hand over her face and hair, came back as a red head with violet eyes.   
"How touching." Alex muttered. Tess smiled and walked into the Crashdown Cafe, while Alex watched from the outside.  
  
"Hi, Mr. Parker? I'm one of Liz's...old friends from school. She hasn't been around lately, so do you know where she is?" Tess asked.   
"I'm sorry, um what's your name?"  
"Jess." Tess said quickly. "Jess Softing."   
"I'm sorry, Ms.Softing, Liz isn't here anymore." Mr.Parker said, concentrating on the floor.  
"Well, do you know if Maria is?" Tess asked.  
"They're both not here either. And if you're wondering about Max, Michael, Isabel, and Kyle too- they're not here either, and they're not coming back. Sorry." Mr.Parker said, walking into the backroom. Tess looked through the window at Alex and gave a hesitant sigh, then walked out to meet him.   
"I told you." Tess said.  
"Then where are they?" Alex asked.  
"That's what we're going to have to find out." Tess said. "I still have my powers, y'know, I might be able to track them if we get a move on."  
"Oh you still have your powers? Why don't you mind warp me to go with you then, because we're not on this little quest together." Alex said. "I'm going on my own."  
"How the hell do you expect to do that?" Tess asked. "You're dead, Alex, dead! Everyone in Roswell knows it! So unless you plan on stealing a car and getting chased by the police, hitching a ride and dieing again once the drivers realize who you are and freak out, I suggest you realize what you're up against, and use my help!" Tess almost screamed. "I'm not asking you to forgive, Alex, but for now, since we're both alive, forget. Because you need me, and I need you!" Tess tried to reason. "Listen, I know you're not going to like this either, but I know someone who can help us, someone we can trust. He knows."  
"Who is he? Valenti?"  
"No. We can't go to Valenti for help, Alex. He got his job back as a deputy, and it wouldn't be safe, the FBI was looking for me before I blew up their building. It just- you know, people involved with the law are just- it's tough." Tess said. "We're going to go to Jesse Ramirez." Tess said. Alex had a questioning look on his face. Tess sighed. "Isabel's husband."  



	2. Ch.2

To the folks who reveiwed: I'm revealing WHY Tess and Alex are back in this chapter, I knew someone was gonna bring that up! :)  
  
"I don't like this idea." Alex muttered as they walked up to the Ramirez doorstep.   
"Of course _you _don't." Tess almost laughed. Alex glared at her, and Tess bowed her head down apologetically. _Will he ever just forgive me? I know it's alot to ask, but the Alex I knew was forgiving. Especially to Isabel. Guess I'm not the blonde alien he wanted. _Tess ran her hand over her hair and face, turning her back to bombshell blonde and all. She rang the doorbell, it was only a few seconds later that Jesse Ramirez opened the door.   
"T-tess?" Jesse almost jumped. "I thought you...you know...FBI facility...BOOM?" Jesse whispered.  
"Ya, it's confusing. We really need your help." Tess said.  
"Um, okay, come in." Jesse said. "I'm kinda packing, ready to leave for Boston." Jesse said, walking into his and Isabel's apartment.  
"It has her touch to it." Alex said, looking around.  
"Hey, uh, who are you? Another...you know, 'foreigner'?" Jesse asked.   
"No. I'm Alex Whitman." Alex said, practically glaring at Jesse.   
"Oh. Nice to meet you." Jesse said, extending his hand.  
"What? Never heard of me, at all?" Alex asked. Jesse shook his head and Alex glared.  
"Okay," Tess said, cutting inbetween them. "Jesse we need a vechicle. We also need to know where the others went."  
"Um, the vechicle I can get you- I myself do not know where they went. But I'd head toward the Arizona Border, that much I know from Valenti, and that's all I know." Jesse replied, he furrowed his brow. "But you still haven't told me why you're here."  
"Okay, Jesse, make the call, I'll explain everything." Tess said, sitting down on the couch. Alex sat next to her, his mood did not change.  
"Hey, Frank, ya, I need a car. Just a l;ittle thing, nothing fancy, fit for two? Thanks." Jesse said. That was easy. Jesse walked into the living room. "Okay now, _explain_."  
"Well. Let's just say all Hell broke loose." Tess said. Jesse arched a brow. "No, listen, ok, I killed Alex." Tess said with a big sigh. Alex glanced at her. Wow. "And I do regret it." Tess said, looking directly at Alex. "And then I sacrificed myself for Zan when I blew up the FBI facility. Obviously, that earned me some kudos points. So, ya, I'm up there. Heaven. Actually there, I even met this girl from Sunnydale named Tara, but anyway. It was like what, less than an hour after I got there, when all of sudden it's like this huge earthquake or something and- I find Alex at the entrance to Roswell, New Mexico. So... what I'm saying is, what I think I'm saying is-"  
"Even angels fall." Alex cut in. "Apparently, everyone up there did, like...come back to Earth, when I came down, I think I even saw Grandma Claudia. Uh, that's Liz's Grandma." Alex said. "Hey, wouldn't that Nasedo guy be around? And Pierce?" Alex asked Tess.  
"Like you think _they _would be in Heaven? Try the other side." Tess laughed. They both looked at Jesse whose mouth was hanging open. There was a honk from outside. "Thanks, Jesse. Thanks so much." Tess said, getting up and walking to the door. Alex glared at Jesse for one last moment before following Tess.  
"If you see Isabel...tell her I love her." Jesse added. Tess nodded and Alex cringed. The two got outside, there was an old, old mercedes in the driveway.   
"So, you jealous?" Tess asked, hopping into the driver's seat. Alex glared at her.  
"Do I need to remind you about how you ruined my life?" Alex asked. "We're still going to find her. I don't care about Jesse. I love Isabel." Alex's voice turned weak and he glanced out the window as Tess pulled out and drove along the exit of Roswell.   
  
A few hours of silence later they pulled up at a fast food restuarant.   
"Do you even have any money?" Alex asked Tess.  
"Uh...no. You didn't happen to have cash in your wallet and have your wallet with you when I killed you?"  
"No." Alex said, slightly glaring accusingly.  
"Then, we'll just have to rob someone or someplace." Tess laughed.  
"Easy for you to say." Alex muttered.  
"Alex, what have you got to lose, you're dead!"  
"Stop reminding me." Alex groaned. He looked down and twidled his thumbs for a few moments. "Okay, what's the plan?"  
  
  



	3. Ch.3

To the readers: Tess and Alex play a little Bonnie&Clyde, or you could say, Max&Liz in this chapter!**   
  
**Tess ran her hand over her hand and face, returning them to the red hair and violet eyes state. Running her hand across her clothes they all turned black. Tess reached her hand out to Alex, but Alex turned quickly.  
"Alex, please, I'm, not gonna kill you."  
"How about I wait in the drivers seat, for a faster get away?"  
"Alex, I can't do this without you!" Tess said. Alex sighed and held out his sleeve to her. Tess ran her hand gently over it, turning his clothes black. "Okay, don't freak because I will change your hair color back to normal." Tess said, running her hand over his hair turning it-  
"BLUE!?" Alex said, looking into the mirror. Tess smirked.  
"Definetly not something the late Alex Whitman would do. Come on." Grabbing a metal pipe which was convienently located in the back seat Tess placed her hand over it, molding it into the shape of a gun. Alex looked at her, slightly afraid. "Just to scare them. See- no bullets." Tess smiled.  
"Right, let's get this over with." Alex said. Tess molded another steel pipe and handed it to Alex. "I can't beleive I'm doing this." Tess pulled out and parked in the gas station across the street. They both got out and walked up to the door. "Here goes." Alex said, kicking the door open. Pulling their black hood masks on, Tess held up the gun to the cashier. Luckily, the place was deserted except for him.   
"Get down, on the floor!" Tess barked putting her voice a little lower than usual. The cashier dropped the ground...and so did Alex. Tess looked at Alex. "Not you!" She whispered. Alex stood back up, holding his 'gun' in the direction of the cashier's head. Tess looked around for the security tape, finding it and raising her hand she burnt it, making sure the tape inside was melted. She walked over to the cash register and used her powers to unlock it. Opening it, Tess hurriedly shoved all of the contents into a bag and then destroyed the register. RUnning past Alex, she looked back, "C'mon!" Alex looked back at the guy, still having the 'gun' pointed at him, and he walked backwarss until he reached the door and then bolted for the car. Within 5 seconds they wee out of the parking lot and back on the road.  
  
"Wasn't that _wild_!" Tess said breathily. Alex arched an eyebrow at her.   
"That was scary."  
"Aw, still paranoid I see."  
"I'm not paranoid." Alex said, looking at the cash. "Wow. You emptied the lot. Don't you feel bad for the guy though? I mean, what if he has the family-"  
"Alex. Now is definetly not the time to be thinking about that. In this doggy dog world, there is no time to feel bad for anyone."  
"Right, you would know." Alex said, looking out the window. Tess gave him a glance. About 10 miles later they pulled into another fast food joint, Tess changed their hair and clothing back to normal and grabbed some cash, walking in, Alex following her slowly.  
"I'll take the biggie burger and a medium coke, same for him." Tess said glancing back at Alex. The guy at the counter handed thme their orders and they took a seat near the back.   
"How did you know what I was going to order?" Alex asked, sitting down.  
"Mind tricks. Duh." Tess responded. Alex nodded and rolled his eyes. He bit into his hamburger.  
"This stuff's nasty."  
"What did you expect." Tess said. "At least you didn't have to live off of Antarian food for like a year, they have this vegetable, oh my gosh, it's so gross-"  
"Stop." Alex said, holding up his hand. "I really don't want to, and dont care to know about your little vacation on Antar." Alex said. Tess frowned. Alex stood up. "I'm going to the car." Alex said, leaving. Tess stared at the basicly untouched food. She was really trying to be Alex's friend, she really regretted everything she did, she knew she ruined his life, she just wished he would find it in his heart to forgive her. 


	4. Ch.4

**  
**The next morning, Tess woke up in the back seat of the car. Her mind was boggling and it hurt like hell. They had made it to the Arizona border, and she could sense the others. Max, Michael, Isabel. Her head hurt and she let out a sigh of releif when the pain subsided. By then, Alex had awoken.  
"Hey...you don't look so good." Alex said, Tess looked up in surprise. It almost sounded like Alex had said that with _compassion_.   
"I sense them Alex." Tess said weakly. "Max, Michael, Isabel." Tess said. Alex looked at her nervously, she looked like she would puke. "I'm fine, I am, get that expression of your face before I begin to think you actually care about the murderer." Tess said with a smile. Alex turned away quickly. "Well...it's a good sign." Tess said, getting out of the car and into the front seat. "It means we're closer to finding Isabel so you can go scoop your dream girl of her feet and kiss a married a woman." Tess smiled.   
"Ya, um, just drive." Alex said, his forehead pressed against the passenger window.   
"Right." Tess said, she put the keys into the ignition and they began to drive. There was a lot of silence, and the old car didn't even have a decent radio. Finally, after about 2 hours of driving, Alex spoke.  
"Tess, I'm sorry about blowing up on you yesterday at the diner." Alex said. Tess looked up at him, surprised. "I mean, that was totally out of my character, that was something Michaek would've said." He said almost with a laugh.  
"Alex, you don't have to be sorry about anything." Tess said, looking over at him. Her eyes burned into his like hot coals and Alex was trying ot force himself to pull away from her strangely sincere gaze. It made him feel uncomfortable. Before he could turn away however, Tess winced and screamed out.  
"Oh!" Tess squeezed her eyes shut and quickly yet sloppily pulled the car over on the deserted road. "Oh God." Tess grasped her head.   
"Tess? Tess?" Alex asked unsure what was happening. Tess used her powers to quickly open the car door and she ran out into the middle of the road. "Tess!" Alex called. he quickly undid his seatbelt and hopped out of the car, running over to her.   
"Oh God, ow." Tess moaned, her hands gripping her hair and spinning slightly. "Make the pain go away, please." She whispered. Alex ran up and grabbed her by the shoulders.  
"Tess?"  
"Alex..." Tess said dizzily. her feet gave way and Tess closed her eyes, fainting into Alex's arms.  
"This is just picture perfect." Alex muttered. He lifted Tess up and carried her back to the car, putting her in the back seat.   
  
Another one and a half hours passed by before Tess finally came to. She found herself alone in the backseat of the car.  
"Alex?" Tess whispered. There was no answer. Tess sat up and looked around. The car was parked infront of a gas station. The only thing Tess remembered was passing out into Alex' arms, and nothing else from there. She had felt so secure in his arms, but where was that security now? "And why do I feel safe with him?" Tess asked herself. Tess lifted her head up as Alex came running out of the convience store with some junk food and a piece of paper.  
"Hey. You woke up." Alex said, getting in the driver's seat. Tess straightened herself out.  
"Yea." Tess said, smiling a bit.  
"Y'know, you look happy to see me. I'm wondering if you woke up and thought that someone else killed me again before you got the chance to." Alex said opening a bag of cheetos.  
"I see this is my torture for life, letting you crack these not funny jokes about me killing you?"  
"Yea. So mind telling me what made you spaz out and then go out cold?" Alex asked, concerned.  
"I could feel them, again, Alex. More strongly than before. It means we're getting closer, but it also means-...a lot of power was being used."   
"Like electrical power, or alien power?"  
"What do you think Alex?" Tess said, holding her head.  
"Do you need an asprin?"  
"No! I'm-I'm fine now." Tess said, sitting up straight. "Okay, take highway 245, we're going north to the four corners."   
"Okay." Alex said, starting the ignition.  
"Hey, what was that peice of paper you had there?" Tess said, pointing to the white piece of paper with all the junk food in the passenger seat.  
"That's the bad news." Alex responded. He handed the paper to Tess. It was a wanted ad. "Turns out there were witnesses outside who saw us before we pulled the masks on. Luckily they don't have any names, just drawings from witness testimonies. But hey, think of it this way, we're worth quite a sum of money."   
"Ya...this isn't exactly the best of news, but I doubt it's anything to worry about. We're dead, remember?" Tess said, her voice kind of unsure.  
"How could I forget." Alex said.  
  
*Scene Switch- A motel room somewhere.*  
  
Liz Parker Evans finished unpacking her little belongings in the hotel room and walked out into the hallway, when she bumped into someone.  
"Oh sorry." Liz said. She eyed the man's strange clothes. The guy tiped his hat and walked over to a phone booth. Liz watch him curiously. The guy inserted a few coins and picked up the phone and dialed a number.  
"Hello? This is Atherton." The man said in the phone. "I'm looking for a-" Liz didn't even need to pay attention to the rest of the conversation, immediately she spun on her heels and ran into Max at the motel's buffet.  
"Max! You won't beleive who I just saw!"  
  
*Return to Scene- Alex and Tess's car.*  
  
The following morning, Tess and Alex reached the popular tourist point- the four corners.   
"Hey look Tess! I'm in Arizona-but now I'm in Colorado!" Alex said, taking a diagonal step. Tess smiled. Maybe he was finally shedding the anger after all.   
"Hold on." Tess said, she put on her sunglasses and walked over to the souveneir booth in the New Mexico quarter. "A disposable camera please." Tess said. The guy nodded and handed her one and Tess handed him back some cash. "Oh Alex..." Tess said, holding up the camera. Alex turned while in the middle of jumping from state to state as Tess took a picture.  
"Hey!" Alex said, being blinded by the flash.   
"Gotcha!" Tess laughed. Alex grinned.   
"My whole life I've lived in Roswell, I've never been here before. You know, when I was in 8th grade my goal for life was to veiw every tourist attraction in America. Living in Roswell does that to you." Alex said.  
"Well looks like you might get your goal after all." Tess smiled. She found herself just smiling at him for awhile, a few seconds passed by and she turned away. Alex blushed slightly and walked over to the souveneir stand.  
"A camera please." Alex said, handing him the money. The guy took the money and handed him a camera which Alex unwrapped quickly. "Hey Tess!" Alex shouted, Tess turned around and Alex took a picture of her.  
"Oh my gosh!" Tess said, surprised. She laughed and ran after Alex, snapping pictures rapidly. Alex stopped and turned, using his camera against her. 23 exposures later...  
"Damn. I'm all out of film." Alex said.  
"Same here." Tess said, stuffing the camera into a cheap purse she bought.   
"We'd better go to the car, it's getting late."   
"Ya." Tess said. The two walked back to the car. Once they were gone, the man at the New Mexico souveneir booth pulled out a crumpled piece of paper form the trashcan nearby. He unfolded it, revealing the wanted ad with a sketch of Alex and Tess. Picking up his cell phone, he dialed.   
"Hello? Security, I need you to connect me with the police."   
  



	5. Ch.5

**  
**Tess woke up to fine herself in the passenger seat leaning on Alex's shoulder. He was still peacefully asleep. Straightening herself out she held her head. They were closer. Luckily, Max, Michael, and Isabel weren't using their powers at the moment so Tess's headache was very weak and vanished in a few seconds. Tess sighed and glanced at Alex again. She didn't want to admit it but...there was just something about him. Something about the sarcastic way he made fun of her for killing him, yet he stopped being grouchy about it. _He's just a really good human, I guess. _Tess thought. She was broken from her thoughts when she heard a car door slam. Looking up she saw Utah police cars surrounding them. Tess thought they did a pretty good parking the car hidden in the forest in the Utah part of the four corners. Someone must've saw them yesterday and called the police. They were getting out of their cars. Tess shook Alex quickly.  
"Alex! Wake-up!" Tess said. Alex stirred and opened an eye.  
"What?"  
"Look!" Tess said, nodding her head towards the approaching police.  
"Holy Shyt!" Alex umped up and grabbed the keys out of his pocket, sticking them into the ignition and slamming on the gas pedal. Tess wasn't wearing her seatbelt and almost got flung into the windshield but Alex quickly stuck his arm out protectively and prevented tess from flying out. Tess quickly grabbed the seatbelt buckle and pulled it on.  
"Hurry!" Tess called looking back at the police getting back in their cars and chasing after them.  
"I don't even know where we're going!" Alex said, he just kept speeding through the forest. Tess closed her eyes and concentrated.   
"Alex, once you get out of their sight, stop the car completely and don't make any noise." Tess said. Alex did as she said and parked behind a gathering of trees. Tess closed her eyes and concentrated...making them disappear from the officer's sight. After a few minutes when the sirens were far off in the distance. Tess opened her eyes and nodded to Alex. "It's been awhile since it was easy to do that." Tess said. "I mean, using any power was so much tougher with Zan with me, it just took so much energy."  
"You never told me what happened to your son."  
"I didn't realize we were on the story-telling relationship."  
"Well tell me."  
"Okay, so when I came back, at first the plan was to get Max's help to get out of Roswell. But when my ship crash landed and became the FBI's "property", I had to do something to save myself and Zan. So I killed them. All of them- it was a risky move but it was the only move. Anyway, so once me and Zan got out they were on my trail, they even had a picture of me. Max and Michael tried to get me out of Roswell, but my mind warp was too weak to fool the guards at the exit. So I was stuck in Roswell. Michael, Isabel, and Maria wanted to just give me up, sort of as bait, so that the FBI would leave them alone. Liz broke the tie- she voted no."  
"Liz isn't a killer." Alex said. Tess almost glared at him but didn't.  
"That's what she told me when I asked her why she voted no. Anyway, so, I figured the only person who wouldn't stop me from doing what I needed to do, and someone who I needed to say a few things to- was Liz. She drove me to the FBI facility. I told her Max loved her and then, I did the only thing left for me to do. I-"  
"You don't need to say it. I know." Alex said, staring at the steering wheel.  
"Ya. I miss my son."  
"When you saw Isabel again, did she ever yell at you or anything for..what you did to me?" Alex asked, almost desperately.  
"I won't lie to you Alex. All she did was vote yes to using me as bait."  
"Okay." Alex sighed. "Okay."  
  
*Scene Switch- Crashdown Cafe*  
  
Jeff Parker looked up, as a customer walked over to the counter.  
"How may I hel-" Jeff cut himself off. "Mom?"  
  
*Scene Switch Again- Motel somewhere*  
  
"Are you telling me you saw Atherton making a phone call?" Max asked, curiously.  
"Ya, and this was only a few hours after we saw Whittaker in the parking lot and had to use our powers to..."  
"Re-kill her." Max finished. "So...all the dead people are...alive?"  
"I don't know." Liz said biting her lip. Isabel walked over and dropped her coffee.  
"Grant!?" Liz and Max turned to see Grant Sorensen trying to figure out why his cell phone didn't work anymore. Liz frowned and looked at Max who had no idea what to do.  
  
*Scene Switch Back to Alex and Tess's car.*  
  
"This problem is getting serious." Tess said.  
"What problem?"  
"Living in a car. I smell, I look like trash."  
"Well, they're no other way, I mean, we're fugitives we can't exactly check into a Motel 6, or a fancy hotel either."  
"I know." Tess sighed. "This just...really isn't good for an alien's hygiene, I mean, remember the skins?"  
"What are you saying?" Alex asked.  
"Oh...nothing. You just wouldn't want to stick around when an alien goes without a shower for a couple days, nasty side effects." Tess smirked.  
"Allright, but you're going to have to pull off a mind-warp from the moment we step out of this car, until we get into our room." Alex said. Tess nodded.   
"But first, pull the car over behind that Motel 6 or somewhere secluded." Tess said. Alex did what she said and Tess stepped out, touching the hood of the car, changing it's color to black and then walking to the license plate and changing that too. "Okay, let's go." Tess said, closing her eyes. Alex took her by the hand and led her into the motel, since she couldn't see where she was going on her own. She made them look like a young couple, clean, and happy.   
"How may I help you two?" The attendant smiled.  
"One room." Alex said. The attendant smiled at the man who didn't look like Alex and more like Brad Pitt. The attendant gave him the sign in book and Alex signed in and paid for a night, and the attendant gave him the key.  
"Have a pleasant stay." The attendant grinned. Alex walked down the hallway and to a room at the far right, opening it and pulling Tess in.   
"Okay, it's safe." Alex said. Tess opened her eyes and smiled, but then bit her lip.  
"No it's not." Tess whispered. The maid was still in the hotel room and had just seen Brad Pitt and his girlfriend change into a dead guy and a dead alien. Well, she didn't know they were dead.   
"Mindwarp her." Alex muttered. Tess nodded and walked up to the maid quickly, placnig her hands on either side of the maid's head and mindwarped her into thinking that never happened. The maid looked up, dazed, and left the room. Tess sighed and plopped onto a bed.  
"That was my fault." Alex said, sitting down on the other bed. Tess didn't say anything in response. "So, um, what did you make us look like?"  
"Uh no one in particular, I just made us look like...a pair of brother and sister." Tess lied. Alex nodded and found himself breathing heavily and asleep. Tess smiled and shook her head and then walked into the bathroom.   



	6. Ch.6

Tess woke up, finding herself in the soft cotton motel 6 bed. It was the first good sleep she had had in awhile since this long adventure. She opened her eyes to find Alex staring out the barely open motel room door.  
"Alex? What are you doing?" Tess asked. Alex turned, put his index finger to hislips, telling her to be quiet. Tess sat upright on the bed, giving him a questioning look. Alex shut the door.  
"Tess, there are cops outside. I heard their conversation with the attendant, they're looking for us. Your mind-warp must've been weak last night, the maid called them." Alex said hastily. "You'll have to pull the mind-warp again."  
"I can't, Alex, if it was weak last time, I'm in no condition to do it now." Tess said, getting out of the bed quickly. She was still wearing the same clothes she had died. So was Alex, she thought.   
"They're coming. I can hear their voices, we have to hide." Alex said, locking the door.  
"The closet." Tess said quickly, running inside. Alex held the door shut with his hands. Hopefully, they would look here. The small closet was barely big enough for two people. Tess was leaning against Alex, breathing heavily. She was scared. Alex wrapped his arm around her protectively, holding her tightly to him.   
"I won't let them get you." He whispered, looking down at her. Tess slowly raised her head up. She mouth back to him 'Really?'. Alex nodded, brushing some blonde strands away from her face. Tess felt her cheeks blush as his hand brushed her face. She knew it was too dark for him to see anything, but she wondered if he could at least feel the heat of her skin, because he was the one lighting it up. _I never thought *I* would feel this way, about anyone. _Tess thought. Head over heels, the ragged breathing, the flushed skin, these were symptons all new to her. "Tess, I know this isn't the time..." Alex whispered. "But I would never ever want you dead. I, I actually couldn't live with myself if anything happened to you. I mean, I know, I should hate you, but there's just something about you. I think, these past few days I've seen the real you." Alex said, his voice slightly husky.   
"I didn't know if I could live, having you hate me any, longer." Tess whispered back. "It's just... there's something about you. Everyday on this strange adventure, I hate myself even more and more for what I did to you. I killed you." Tess whispered.  
"Maybe so, but for some reason...just being here, this close to you...is making me feel so...alive." Alex said. He bit his lip and felt his cheeks blush. Had he just said that outloud? Where did that come from? Did it really come from him...yes. Yes, it did come from him, and he couldn't deny it anymore. Alex gulped as he stared into Tess's sparkling eyes which were visible due to the tiny cracks of light coming from outside. Suddenly, they heard the motel room door slam open and foot steps pass them. Alex kept Tess pressed tightly against him as the footsteps pressed by. Not that long after, the noises resided. After a minute of pure golden silence, Alex finally spoke.  
"I think they're gone." He whispered.  
"Ya, but...I don't want to go outside, just yet." Tess said, looking up into his eyes.  
"Either...either do I." Alex managed to choke out. Still staring into her dazzling blue eyes. Tess closed her eyes slowly, leaning her head back, as Alex lowered his lips to hers. Their lips brushed softly and Tess shuddered at the near closeness. Alex put a hand at the back of her head, bringing her lips to his once more, this time capturing them. Tess felt something inside of her tick and explode with vivid brightness. She couldn't stop the sensations going through her at this moment, she felt her heart beating faster and faster, it might just pop out of her chest any minute now. _What is he doing to me? _Tess wondered. With another sweeping kiss from Alex, her worries left her. She just wanted to be kissed by him again. As if her wish had been granted, Alex didn't stop and continued on, wrapping both arms around her slender waist and pulling her as close to him as possible. _What's come over me? What's come over him? _  
"Alex." Tess murmured inbetween kisses. Alex couldn't help but feel so...positive at the moment. Hearing his name mumbling out of her lips as he continued to kiss her passionately, something was happening to him. He could feel it all the way down in toes, all the way through his veins, it was like he was being charged up. Electrified, energized. He moved down, kissing at Tess's soft skin on her neck. He never would've thought in a million years, that he would be here, at this place, in this situation, doing this. Although now that he was...it just felt oh-so-good. It was like there was something there, that wasn't there before. "Alex." Tess repeated, slightly pulling away. Alex felt an immediately chill go through his entire body at their small seperation. "I just...can't beleive...this doesn't seem real. It seems to good for me." Tess whispered. Alex shook his head.  
"No. It's real. It has to be real." Alex said, pulling her back to him. Tess closed her eyes as he laid his lips hungrily back on hers. Tess felt his tongue massage hers as she wrapped both arms around her neck. Suddenly there was another loud banging noise from outside. "The cops." Alex said quickly, pulling away. He turned to Tess. It was now or never, the cops must've heard them. Alex took a deep breath and swung the closet door open, stepping through. The police pivoted on their feet, they had guns in their hands aiming right at him.   
"Hands in the air!" One of them shouted. Alex quickly and swiftly moved both his arms up, in doing so, both officers went flying across the room into the wall. Their heads banging into the wall and falling down up on top of each other. Alex stepped back, his eyes bulged out of their sockets. He turned to Tess.  
"I didn't know you could do that." Alex said.  
"I didn't do that, Alex." Tess said, stepping out of the closet. She walked over to Alex and touched his arm with two of her fingers. Instantly his skin glowed and he could see green sparks crackling beneath his skin.   
"What the- How?" Alex asked, raising his hands to his face and looking at his green electrifying palms.  
"I don't know, Alex." Tess said, shaking her head. Suddenly, one of the police men moaned. "We have to go, now." Tess said. She took Alex's hand and pulled him out of the motel room, they raced out of the place to the old benz.  
  
*Scene Switch- Motel Somewhere*  
  
"So first we see Whitaker, whom we all thought Isabel killed." Liz said. Isabel glanced at her. "Sorry, whom Isabel stopped." Liz corrected herself.  
"Then Liz sees Atherton make a phone call, and Nasedo was supposed to have killed Atherton a long time ago." Max joined in.  
"Then, I see Grant. We all thought he died when the Gandarium did." Isabel said, stirring her coffee. It was another group meeting. Max and Liz Evans sat next to each other on of the beds in the motel room, Max holding Liz's hand tightly. Maria sat inbetween Kyle and Michael on the other bed, and Isabel at the table, stirring her coffee, stopping every now and then to take a few sips.   
"So, what exactly is going on?" Maria asked.  
"Is this like the phenomenal walk off the dead or something?" Kyle asked.  
"That's insane, Kyle. The dead don't walk." Maria muttered.  
"Ya, Maria, and aliens don't exist." Kyle shot back with a smirk.  
"Kyle might actually be right." Max said, shifting on the bed. "Alot of people whom we know of, who are dead, are all off a sudden popping up. There's no explanation."  
"That Whitaker incident was freaky, though." Michael commeneted. "What if her insane little brother all off a sudden pops up with an army of skins? We may have been able to re-kill, sorry Iz, re-stop Whitaker, but what about a whole invasion of skins..."  
"Michael. Whitaker's the only skin we've seen. Atherton and Grant aren't skins." Max cut in. "But...I don't know. Whitaker's appearance does make it seem like a skin thing." Max said, rubbing his chin. There was a knock at the door.   
"I'll get it." Michael said. He walked to the motel door, opening it a fraction so he could see whoever it was.  
"Michael!" A female voice said. Everyone looked at each other and then to the door.  
"C-courtney?" Michael whispered. "We were just talking about you...sorta."  
"Courtney?" Maria whispered, looking at Max. Max was concentrated on Michael at the door.  
"Please let me in Michael, I saw him, he saw me, I just want to go back." The voice shivered. Michael backed up from the door and closed it. Everyone turned to see Courtney shivering at the door. Michael put his arm around her shoulder, (making Maria arch an eyebrow curiosuly), and led her to sit down on the bed.   
"Courtney?" Liz asked, stunned.   
"Ya, Liz. It's me." Courtney said, wrapping her arms around herself. "First place I went was the Crashdown. I saw your dad, he was surprised to see me, I guess no one in Roswell knew I died."  
"Truthfully no one cared." Maria whispered.  
"Anyway, I asked where you and Maria were. He said you weren't here. That's all he'd tell me." Courtney shivered. "So, I came. I followed my instincts, hitched a few rides. Now I'm here."   
"Why are you here? How did you know where we are?" Max asked.  
"I don't know how I knew. There was something that just pulled me here." Courtney looked to Michael, as if he were the answer. Maria rolled her eyes. "I'm here because I know Michael and you and your sister are the only people who can help me. I just want to go back."  
"Go back, where?" Liz asked.  
"You know. That place you humans beleive in." Courtney said. "Heaven." She whispered. "And I saw him...and he saw me."  
"Who saw you?" Max asked.  
"You- your guardian! Nasedo." Courtney said deathly. Max looked at everyone. The leader was feeling frantic...she had seen Nasedo. Suddenly the door kicked open, and standing at the door way was...  
"Pierce!" Michael jumped up quickly raising his hand in the air, sending the man into the wall across from them. Michael looked at Max worriedly. Isabel, Max, Liz, and Courtney quickly rushed to the scene. Pierce stood up, reached inside his jacket and pulled out a gun. Courtney lifted her hand this time, the gun flew out of his hand and into hers. Michael grabbed it from him quickly and aimed it at Pierce. "Leave. Now. Or I'll kill you again." Michael swore. Pierce stood up slowly and paused. After a moment or two he took off out of their way.  
  
*Scene Switch Back*  
  
Alex and Tess quickly got inside the car, driving down empty road. Alex was driving and Tess stared silently out the window. Suddenly Tess gave a little gasp of pain. Alex turned to her quickly.  
"Tess? Tess, what's wrong?" He asked, his face filled with concern. Tess shook her head.  
"Nothing, we, we're just getting so close, I can feel their powers being used, I'm allright though." She assured him. Alex nodded and directed his eyes back to the road. Tess looked back at him. "Alex?"  
"Yes?" Alex answered, his eyes still locked on the road.  
"What's going to happen when we find the others? Are you, are you going to go back to Isabel...and that's it?" Tess asked. Alex turned to her.  
"Tess, no...I thought you figured it out...I, I can't have Isabel now. It's over between me and her. There's just no way. She's married, she loves Jesse. And I've come to realize she isn't everything to me that I thought." Alex said. He bit his lip. "I think I'm in love with you." He said, glancing at her quickly. Tess furrowed her brow.  
"So, am I, like second best? The rebound, or something?" Tess asked, slightly insulted.  
"No, no! Tess, no." Alex pulled over on the empty road. He turned to Tess cupping her face in his hands. "I'm not even sure how this happened, I'm not even sure what's going on, I'm sure of one thing, I was mistaken. It's not Isabel. It wasn't Isabel. It could never have been Isabel. Tess, I really care alot about you. I didn't think so myself, but I do, and, I can't deny that, and..." He placed his hand on the side of Tess's neck, stroking the bottom of her cheek with his thumb, making Tess blush and her cheeks turn pink, "I want you." Alex said, leaning in closer to her. Tess looked in his eyes, all she could see was the truth pouring out of him. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders quickly pulling him into another fiery kiss. Tess pulled away and smiled at him slightly.   
"Let's go find the others. We're not far now." Tess said. Alex nodded and started the car again, driving off down the road.   
  
*Scene Switch- Motel Somewhere*  
  
"Great. First Whitaker, then Atherton, then Grant, now Courtney, and Pierce. Plus a sighting of Nasedo." Isabel said, falling back onto one of the motel beds. "What the heck are we going to do? We're not God. We can't send them all back to where they came from." Isabel muttered. Max smiled at Liz, remembering that one Christmas about 2 years ago, when she reminded him that he wasn't God. "Max, hello? What are we going to do?" Isabel asked. Max always wondered why everyone always asked him what they were going to do. Well, it might have a thing to do with him being the leader. He never asked for the position though. The group sat there in silence, pondering. Suddenly there was an explosion from outside. Everyone ran out of the room, lead by Max, into the motel lobby. Max looked at the shattered glass panes and broken door, he gritted his teeth.  
"Nasedo." Max murmured. Liz looked at Max and then to Nasedo standing there. Nasedo smiled.  
"So you didn't forget me, Max." Nasedo said, looking around.  
"I can't beleive we even tried to use the healing stones on you." Michael cut in. "You were going to sell us out anyway, once Tess did her job!"  
"Ah, yes, Tess. However, from what Khivar has told me she failed. Therefore this plan was put into action." Nasedo smiled. "Where is my little Tess anyway?"   
"Right here." A voice from behind them said. Liz, Max, Michael, Isabel, Kyle, Maria, and Courtney all turned around, gpasing in disbeleif. Alex and Tess stood at the broken door frame.  
"Alex!" Isabel exclaimed. Tess took a step forward, followed by Alex.  
"Tess." Nasedo stepped forward, suddenly being thrown back against the wall by some force of power. Liz looked to Kyle who was behind her Max, Michael, and Isabel.  
"Did you do that?" Liz asked Kyle, wondering if his powers were kicking in.  
"No, Liz. I did that." Alex said. He glared at Nasedo. "And I'll do it again if I have to." Liz stared at Alex in disbeleief then looked to Max, who looked just as clueless. Nasedo got up.  
"I remember you...Alex Whitman." Nasedo said, standing up. "Tess, come with me, Khivar is waiting. I've talked him into giving you a second chance."  
"Khivar's not the one I want a second chance from." Tess said. Liz glanced quickly at Max and Tess, but Tess had glanced back at Alex.   
"Tess, what are you saying?" Nasedo asked. Tess simlpy shook her head.  
"I don't work for Khivar."   
"But Tess, you were brought back to help him. Just like I was."   
"What? I doubt you were sent from Heaven." Michael cut in.  
"Who said this had anything to do with Heaven and Hell?" Nasedo smirked. "You saw your pathetic human friend, Pierce, did you not?" Michael was speechless. He lifted his hand to throw Nasedo back but Nasedo was swifter, and sent Michael knocking into Kyle and Courtney. They bounced back up quickly. "All I want right now is for Tess to come with me. I'm not the one charged with finishing you all. That honor goes to my humble master, Khivar." Nasedo said, extending his hand toward Tess who stood her ground. Michael finally got the upper hand and blinded the entire room, making Nasedo shield his eyes and fall back.  
"Everyone to the van!" Michael yelled, grasping Courtney's hand and yanking her towards the exit. Everyone ran out, led by Michael and into the van. Michael got intot he driver's seat and used his powers to start the engine quickly, not bothering with the key. Tess was knocked into a corner as everyone scrambled in. The car took off before everyone was seated, knocking Isabel into Alex, which bumped Tess farther into the corner. Maria and Courtney sat down next to each other on the same seat, gripping tightly as Michael swerved out of the motel's parking lot. Max had his arms wrapped firmly around Liz who had her face buried in his chest as the car jerked around. Kyle sat down on the seat opposite Maria and Courtney, and Isabel finally made her way to the shot gun. Kyle turned and peaked out the window and muttered some obscure profanity.  
"You're not going to like this..." Kyle muttered. Max looked at him but before he could say anything there were gun shots echoing and bouncing off the back of the van. Max looked out the window as well seeing Pierce running after them with a shot gun in his hand, he was gaining speed incredibly. "Go faster! Go faster!" Kyle exclaimed. Michael stepped quickly on the pedal, flooring it. Liz looked at the front of the van as a figure moved nearer.  
"No! Stop!" Liz yelled, pushing out of Max's embrace and to the front of the bus, placing her hand on the headboard, stopping the van. There was an older woman outside staring blankly at them. "Grandma..." Liz said, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear. The gun shouts rang louder, Pierce was right behind them. "No! Grandma Claudia!" Liz yelled, the woman just stared blankly back at her. "No, he'll kill her!"  
"Liz!" Michael said sternly. "She's not supposed to be alive anyway, let her go or Pierce will get all of us!"   
"No, no, she died in piece the first time, I won't let her be shot!" Liz protested. Suddenly she heard the van door slide open and spun around to see Alex and Max hop outside. Max ran towards Grandma Claudia and Alex towards Pierce.  
"Alex!" Tess exclaimed, seeing him go towards the ex-FBI agent. Alex lifted his hand sending Pierce twenty feet back, as Max pulled Grandma Claudia into the van and letting his green force field fade. Alex jumped in and the door slid closed. Isabel placed her hand to the headboard for Michael, starting the car over again as Michael floored it. Isabel kept her hand on the headboard, giving it extra push. They rode off...a big unusual gang; The original Pod Squad, Liz Evans, Maria Deluca, and Kyle Valenti. Joined by former skin Courtney, and Liz's Grandma Claudia. Last, but not least, Tess and Alex. Now they were all together, responsible for each other's lives, out-running some alien apocolypse curse. Where would they go from here? What would they do next? Not to forget the question everyone is wondering- will Alex keep true what he said to Tess now that he is reunited with Isabel? Find out in the next chapter!  
  
  
  
  
  



	7. Ch.7

The gang parked the van in the middle of a forest. There was a small clearing surrounded by trees that made enough for a campfire. Liz stayed in the van, hugging her Grandma tightly and having a private conversation. Maria and Alex and Kyle caught up on old times by the fire. Isabel sat wrapped up in a blanket by herself, glancing every so often at Alex with a comfortingly look. Tess sat near Alex but not too close, she turned seeing Courtney sit down next to her.  
"Michael and Max are walking around, navigating the area." Courtney explained. "They said it would be better to do at night when no forest rangers might be walking around." She added. Isabel nodded and some other people gave affirmative nods.   
"So, me and Tess aren't the only dead people here, huh?" Alex said, breaking the tension. "Courtney, Grandma Claudia, Nasedo..."   
"We also saw Atherton, Grant, and re-killed Whitaker." Maria added.  
"But does anyone know why?" Alex asked.  
"It wasn't an accident." Tess said. Everyone turned to look at her. "I could tell from Nasedo talking. This wasn't some strange apocolypse accident that they took in their favor. They planned it, they did this. Khivar did this."   
"You would know, wouldn't you." Maria muttered. Tess looked up at her, but simply shook her head. Maria had all the right to say what she did.   
"Maria." Alex said in a warningly tone. "She's been through enough." He said quietly. Maria looked at him kind of shocked.  
"Well, okay. If _you _say so, Alex." Maria nodded. "I'm going to go see Grandma Claudia, want to come with?"  
"Sure." Alex and Maria stood up and left, walking back into the van. Kyle scooted over next to Tess.  
"Hi." He said, not looking at her.  
"Hey." Tess said, not looking at him either, simply staring into the fire.  
"I just need to get this off my chest, since I didn't exactly get the chance to say it last time." Kyle started. He cleared his throat. "When we found out what you did, I really hated you, I really hated you. I mean, we took you in, I called you my sister! When you came back, when it came time to...y'know vote. I realized that families stay families. If your brother goes off and impregnates an alien killer, you don't kick him out of your family because the alien killer killed one of your boyfriends." Kyle glanced up at Isabel quickly then back to Tess. "What I'm saying is, especially after what Alex has told us, about him trusting you now, you- you're still apart of my family. I know my dad would feel the same." Kyle said, looking up at her. Tess grinned, she felt tears come to the corner of her eyes.   
"Thankyou, thankyou so much, Kyle." Tess said while wiping her eyes. She leaned over to give her brother a hug and he returned it.   
"It's fine." Kyle nodded.   
"I'm going to go into the van." Tess said, standing up and walking to the door. She stopped, noticing through the window at Liz, Alex, and Maria talking to Grandma Claudia   
  
"So, you have...alien...powers, Elizabeth?" Grandma Claudia repeated, holding her grand daughter's hand. Liz nodded. "But- you _did _marry this Max Evans. I remember hearing about him when I last came to see you." Grandma grinned. "And you, Maria? Are you also gifted with this strangeness?" Grandma asked, in a cheerfully tone.  
"Oh, no. I'm sane. I seem to be the only one now that Alex has deserted me and Kyle will do the same, soon."  
"Alex? You have powers?"   
"Ya." Alex blushed. "It's no biggie. Just, somehow throwing things into walls with my mind." Alex said.   
"Show us!" Maria said, getting all jumpy.  
"Um. Okay." Alex looked out the front window of the van and raised his hand at a dead tree. It didn't budge. Alex looked at his hand. "Hey! It's not working!" Alex said, tellig off his hand.  
"Actually, Alex..._something _is." Liz said. Alex looked up, the dead tree was now blooming with leaves, like it was re-growing, or something.   
"Whoa." Alex said. "Okay, that probably wasn't me, I'm sure it was Max, he must be coming back." Alex shrugged.  
  
Tess stared in awe at the growing tree. She heard Alex talk and opened the door, practically falling in.   
"No, Alex, Max and Michael aren't anywhere in sight. You did that!" Tess said excitedly, looking to the tree.  
"Were you listening to our conversation or something?" Maria asked skeptically.  
"Who is this?" Grandma Claudia asked.  
"Alex's murderer." Maria replied. Alex shot her a warning look, which Maria returned with an innocent bat of her eyelashes.  
"It's been atoned for." Alex said to Grandma Claudia. He turned and winked at Tess who grinned.   
"Nice to meet you." Tess said, extending her hand, which Grandma Claudia took. "I'm one of the original hybrids." Grandma nodded and Tess let go of her hand.   
"Well, I'm going to go see if there's anything those aliens can roast us outside." Grandma said, sitting up. Liz opened the van door and her and Maria escorted Grandma Claudia out, meeting up with Max and Michael who had just now returned.   
Alex sat down and stared at his hands. "This is strange." He said.  
"It's not the only thing strange." Tess added, sitting down next to him. "Alex?"  
"Ya?"  
"Thankyou. For trusting me, for forgiving me." Tess said.   
"Tess, I never actually forgave you..."  
"Oh." Tess looked down sadly.  
"I can't beleive I forgot. Of course I forgive you." Alex added. Tess smiled.   
"Like I said before, thankyou. Because of you, Kyle, and even Maria and Liz seemed to brighten up towards me. Well, me and Liz already cleared out our differences, but Kyle accepted me as his family again, and...I can't beleive I through this all away for Khivar."  
"You didn't know better, you were raised by Nasedo. I don't think you could help it."   
"You helped me." Tess said, looking up at Alex. Alex leaned down and kissed her softly. The van door opened quickly and Tess jumped up seeing Liz at the entrance. Liz's doe eyes were especially big now, like a deer infront of incoming car.   
"Liz..." Alex started.  
"I can explain." Tess cut in. Liz stared at them blankly.  
"I just- came in here to tell you, you can change...my clothes are in the back..." Liz said, looking at the end of the van were her bag lay. "Michael says you can change into his, Alex." Liz stared back at them. Alex got up and walked over to her.  
"Thankyou, Liz."  
"Anytime..." Liz said, half in a daze.  
"Liz, I just want you to know, if you're confused or unsure- what you just saw was _not _a mindwarp. I kissed Tess." Alex said clearly. Liz nodded slowly. "Please don't tell anyone."  
"Why would I tell someone?"  
"I don't know, but please don't. I don't know how'd they'd take it." Alex said, meaning, he didn't know how _Isabel _would take it.   
"I won't..." Liz said, her voice trailing off.  
"Thanks Liz." Tess said. Liz nodded and walked back outside. Tess turned to Alex with a smile. "I'm guess I'll change." She said, walking over and opening Liz's bag. She looked over her shoulder. "Well, don't just sit there and stare. Either leave or help me." Tess giggled. Alex smirked and walked over, kneeling down next to her and wrapping an arm around her waist. Tess felt so warm and happy inside, it was pretty scary actually. She'd never felt this type of joy before. Tess pulled out a peach spaghetti strap and jeans shorts. It'd be nice to finally get into some good clothes for once, she'd been wearing this same thing ever since she died. She pulled off the dirty shirt quickly and slipped on the new one, not really caring that Alex was watching her the whole time. "I told you not to just sit there." Tess teased. Alex grinned and crawled over to her, giving her a passionate kiss on the lips. Tess returned it, wrapping her arms around his neck. They continued to kiss each other until five minutes later when there was a knocking at the van's door.   
"Where's the van key? Liz? Liz where did you put the van's keys..." Michael's voice said from outside. Tess quickly pulled away from Alex and through off her pants throwing liz's shorts and throwing her own clothes into a corner of the van filled with other clothes.   
"Let me guess, laundry pile." Tess muttered, adjusting her hair. She ran to the van's door and opened it. "Hi Michael." She said cheerfully. Michael simply staired at her and walked inside as she walked outside. Tess walked over and sat next to Liz. "Thanks." She muttered quickly. Isabel and Maria glanced at Tess and Liz strangely.   
"I still haven't talked to Alex." Isabel said softly to Maria. "I don't think he knows about... Jesse."  
"Isabel, don't worry about Alex. He's not an immature little boy, he, he's not- I really don't think this is something you should be worrying about."   
"Maria, the day he died we were on the phone planning dates. Then he died...You know...it's just...that's where he left off."  
"Don't worry about it. Alex will understand." Maria reassured her.   
"Maybe." Isabel shivered. "It's just so strange. I finally move on, and then I have to leave my husband, and he comes back from nowhere, and what does it mean? Should my feelings come back for him?" Isabel brushed a piece of hair behind her ear. Maria didn't know how to answer that...so she didn't. A few seconds later Alex walked out dressed in new clothing and Tess scooted over so that he and Liz could also talk and catch up with each other. Michael followed Alex out and plopped down next to Maria and Courtney. "What do we do now, Max?" Isabel asked.  
"Why does everyone keep asking me." Max muttered, taking a bite out of the fish he had caught and cooked with his powers.   
"You're the leader." Isabel said, taking a tiny bite of fish, and giving it a disgusting look.  
"Isabel if you don't like it, go down the pond and catch your own." Michael muttered, feeling insulted.  
"Isabel, I'm not god. I don't know how to handle this situation." Max looked at Michael, giving him a look that pretty much said to calm down.   
"Well guess." Isabel muttered, standing up and walking off.  
"I think we should all get some rest." Liz said, breaking the tension and silence. "I'll take Grandma Claudia into the van, we'll sleep there."  
"I'll take the first watch and then switch of with Michael in a few hours." Max glanced at his watch. "It's about 11:30 now."  
Michael nodded and walked into the van, pulling out a bunch of mats and blankets of different varietys. He handed one to everyone, and lay one down on the ground near the fire. Maria lay hers down next to Michaels and lay herself on the mat. Michael soon joined her and draped an arm around her as they fell to sleep. Courtney joined Liz and Grandma Claudia in the van and Tess slept near Kyle by the fire. Alex lay his mat inbetween Tess and Max and lay down. But he couldn't get to sleep.  
"I'm going to take a walk." Alex announced to Max, the only one awake. Max nodded lazily.  
"Be careful." He muttered staring at the ground. "Oh...and it's good to have you back." Max smild. Alex smiled and walked out of the clearing and into the forest. He walked along the dirt path, looking back every so often to prevent getting lost.   
  
Tess shook slightly in her sleep. She was in the palace...Antar's palace. With Khivar... she had just handed over the royal three. Khivar said her reward would come soon. Tess waited with anticipation when Isabel came out of a room escorted by guards. Khivar patted the throne next to him and Isabel sat down. Tess looked perplexed. Tess was queen...not Isabel. Khivar continued to smirk and Tess's mind was puzzled. This always happened to her...Tess jerked her eyes open and sat up. She was still with everyone else...Max however was asleep and Michael had not waken up. Tess rubbed the temples of her forehead. Why is it that Isabel always comes first? Because she's Max's sister? She's more beautiful? What? What is it? Tess glanced next to her and noticed Alex was not on his matt. Standing up quickly, she ran into the forest, hoping to find him.   
  



	8. Ch.8

Alex moved his hand towards a dead tree still standing in the ground. In a swift movement it collapsed horizantly onto the dirt infront of him. He hopped over and sat down, watching the woman wading in the shallow area of the lake. He had come across the seemingly enchanted lake area, upon hearing the gentle water movements, and the soft splash she made when stepping in. She turned around in a circle, as if dancing and stopped, noticing him sitting there.   
"Alex." Isabel said adruptly, standing still. She got cold just standing there in the chilly lake and not moving around. Wrapping her hands around herself and using her powers to warm herself up, she waded out of the water. She dripped but she didn't mind as she walked over to the broken tree and sat down. "Hi."  
"Hi." Alex responded, glancing out at the lake. "Beautiful Lake."  
"It's just a lake." Isabel shrugged. She lifted her hand up, a soft white glow emitted from it, casting an illumination over their faces. Closing her palm it went out. "I had to make sure it was really you." She smiled shortly.  
"It's me. You can pinch me if you want. I'm here. In the living flesh." Alex chuckled. He glanced back towards the lake for a moment and lifted his hand up towards it. Little drops and beads or water rose from the surface, about a foot above the lake. "I think this is cool." Alex said, not looking her. He turned his hand and the water drops twisted and turned in a rhymetic pattern, as if doing a dance of their own. Isabel lay her hand on his shoulder, and stared at him for a moment before lifting her own hand and helping to push the molecules of water along in their riverdance. Alex grinned and stood up, working both hands on the water, creating waves and whirlpools with Isabel's help. It was like something out of that Disney musical...Fantasia. Isabel smiled with him and soon half the lake was up in the air, dancing and splashing around lightly, beautifully, magically. At the same time, they lowered their hands and arms, and as the water hit the surface again, a good deal of it splashed onto both of them. Soaking Alex and re-soaking Isabel. They convulsed in laughter.  
"Heh heh heh." Alex ran a hand through his wet hair, throwing it aside. "Good times."   
"Yea." Isabel smiled back at him. She took his hand in hers and walked back to the shore of the lake, stepping in and pulling him with her. They waded back in until the water was a little over their navels. Alex lifted his hand to start another waterwork, but Isabel clapsed his raised hand with hers. Obviously she didn't want to have another H2O parade. Finding the position of her hand on his appropriate, she put another on his shoulder and began to sway in the water. Alex instinctively put his hand on her hip and joined in the slow dance. It reminded them both of that dream so many years ago. Shattered dreams.   
"I...um...met Jesse." Alex managed to choke out.  
"Oh." Isabel nodded.   
"Great guy. He loves you."   
"Do you?" Isabel blurted out. She blushed, terrified at what just poured out of her mouth. Alex opened his mouth to say something, but Isabel was faster. She quickly pushed her lips onto his, the hand on his shoulder went to the back of his head, pushing him closer. Alex didn't move closer. He didn't move away either.  
  
"Ugh. I think that was Poisin Oak." Tess muttered to herself, scratching her arm as she walked through the woods. Maybe Max would heal it for her when she got back. Hopefully he wasn't going to let her itch to death. She pushed away a tree branch and trudged in the dirt some more. Pushing her way through another cluster of trees, her eyes came upon a beautiful lake. It looked so calming. She noticed to two people in the lake. It couldn't be anyone else except...She squinted hard and took a step closer, praying against everyting her eyes were deceiving her. She gave an involuntary gasp as she was affirmed it was Alex...and Isabel. Her lips were on his and his hand was in hers. She took another step in the wet mud, the sound of the footstep called the couple's attention and they turned to her quickly. "I...can't...beleive..." Tess shook her head. "Why? It's because I killed you... I ruined your life, you'll never let go of that...all you care about is her..." Tess babbled softly. Alex practically ran out of the water and over to her.  
"No, Tess, listen-"  
"No! I gave up everything for you! My dignity!" Tess screamed. "I thought you actually- Oh God Alex!" Tess pushed him away, knocking him over in the mud before running through the trees the way she came, not bothering to push them out of her way, as many cuts and scratches appeared on her arms and face. She felt hot tears flood down from her eyes. They stung against the new cuts. She saw the campsite up ahead but took a turn. She just couldn't take being there right now, people would wake up, and question her...she kept running to her right, eyes closed and eyelids getting scratched every once in awhile. She opened her eyes and pushed herself faster and farther away from the site._ Run Tess, run_. Five minutes later, taking a deep breath of the fresh night air Tess pushed her way through two close pine trees when she ran right smack into someone. That someone wasn't Alex.  
"Tess." a smile played upon the the man's lips.  
"Nasedo." Tess breathed, looking around for a way out. What had she gotten herself into now? Well...whatever it was, she'd have to stick it out. "What do you want?"  
"You know very well what I want." Nasedo smiled. "What I want for my king."   
"Yes, precisely." The other man stepped out of the shadows.  
"Khivar..." Tess trailed off, remembering the horrible experience on Antar. "I don't work for you anymore, I'm not like that, I won't help you!"  
"Well, if you won't help us willingly, we may have to use force. You know your little mind games don't work on me." Khivar raised his hand and Tess hovered slightly, a few inches off the ground. She didn't say anything. Kicking and screaming wouldn't help. Khivar raised his other hand and a group of trees behind him opened up and Tess gasped seeing skins, once dead, gathering there. She'd remembered them from that day in Arizona, so long ago.   
"We debated using you... it's not like they would actually come after you." Nasedo chuckled. "They hate you. But not that Alex boy. He'll come after you, and then they'll all come after him."  
"So you'd better enjoy the stay, sweetie." Khivar said, levitating Tess over right into the middle of the skins. Tess swallowed her fear and looked around her. Alex wasn't going to come for her now that he had Isabel... she was going to die here, surrounded by her own mistakes.   
  
"Alex! Alex!" Isabel pushed aside some branches and caught up with him. Alex seemed caught at a crossroads.  
"I don't know which way she went!" Alex panicked.  
"Alex! Alex..." He turned to look at her. "Alex, I'm confused, I don't get- why was she saying those things? Why was she mad? It's as if you and her- ...Oh my god. You didn't..."  
"Yes Isabel, we are attracted to each other." Alex said, looking around. "We have to go back to camp...she might be there." Alex led the way. Upon Isabel and Alex entering the campsite again, pretty much everyone was outside, except for Grandma Claudia, whom Alex figured was still in the van.  
"Where were you?" Max asked, looking at them both. Geez, first night back and they have to go run off together from some midnight make-out session.   
"Tess is gone too." Michael said, rubbing his tired eyes.  
"She ran off..." Alex said quietly. Liz looked at him quickly and then at Isabel.   
"You didn't..." She mouthed. Alex nodded guiltily.   
"We have to go find her." Alex said, crossing his arms. Everyone looked at him oddly except for Liz and Isabel. "We all know she's made some terrible mistakes, she knows it, and she's sorry, but she's still apart of the group."  
"Mistakes." Maria huffed. She looked at Kyle, who looked at Alex.  
"Alex, you were just collateral damage to her."  
"Kyle, you said to her yourself that she's your family."  
"She is."   
"Then why aren't you gonna help find her?"  
"I am. It's just I'm a little confused."   
"About what!?"  
"About...nevermind." Kyle stood up. Suddenly Courtney came rushing past Isabel and Alex and into the group.   
"I felt them...they aren't far from here...skins...tons of them." She breathed. Michael helped her stand up, earning another sharp glance from Maria.   
"We have to leave." Max said, standing up and taking Liz's hand.  
"What about Tess?" Liz and Alex asked the same time.  
"We have to leave, now." Max repeated.  
"The saint's right." Michael said, shaking his head.  
"I'm getting into the van." Isabel brushed past Alex quickly, wiping her eyes. Courtney glanced at Alex sympathetically and walked into the van, followed by Michael and Maria. Kyle was still sitting down and Liz was looking at Max intently.  
"Max, you know we can't just keep running from them..."  
"I don't know what else to do to protect us all, Liz. To protect you."  
"Max..."  
"Liz, even with all off us, using all of our powers we stand no chance for an army of skins. Not now. I only want to protect you." He placed his hand on her cheek. He turned to Alex and Kyle. "Please, get in the van." He said. "Tess can fend for herself, she's strong enough. They won't harm her." Alex looked at Kyle and Kyle stood up and walked into the van. Alex followed and then Max and Liz. Max slid behind the steering wheel and started the engine, as he began to drive away. Alex stared out at the window, like a child moving from his home, watching the campsite grow smaller and smaller as they pulled out onto the main road.   
  
  



	9. Ch.9

A/N: Okay, this sucks, this is the 3rd time I'm writing the beginning of this chapter. The first time, the power went out for about 10 seconds and came back on again, and the seocnd when I tried to save what I had written, it kicked me off AOL, with it unsaved. So, AOL sucks and I just needed to get that out.  
  
Um, updating is going to go slower and slower. I'm working really hard on my Draco/Hermione fic, which is a mystery, and thus takes lots of thinking. I have so many fanfic beginnings on my computer, dying to be posted on fanfiction.net, but I don't have the time, but very soon, I'm going to be uploading a new story, so ya, s l o w. But don't worry, I have everything planned out. This story will be finished soon, and I'm going to try especially hard not to rush it, because I hate it when people do that.   
  
I have shout-outs, I actually have shout-outs!  
  
*ADARA*/Chrissy/Whatever You Want to be Called- Hi my kick-ass friend!  
MagnusXXN- Thanks for always reading and reveiwing!  
EraserHead- Thankyou for your compliments! Don't worry about Alex and Tess, there's just going to be a chapter without her! (This Chap) BUT there is A/T interaction! Just read to see what I mean!  
Stardust Dreamer- Thanks! I'm glad you like!  
  
A/N: Don't take the comment in the beginning seriously, I like Mormons. Mormons Rock! PMAP= Pro-Mormon, Anti-Polygamy!  
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He thought his eye sight might be dwindling with how long he'd been staring out the window. 1 hour and 30 minutes, and they were still trynig to find their way out of this forest. _Utah. Home of the Mormons, you should expect something weird like this. _Alex thought. His forehead was squished flat against the window and he ignored Maria when she commented that if he didn't move it would stay like that forever. A flat square on his head. Did he really care? He already had aliens powers, why not top that off? Liz had tried to cheer him up. She desperately wanted Alex to beleive that Max was doing the right thing. Alex thought Liz was trying to convince herself that Max was doign the right thing. Well they'd been driving for an 1 hour and 30 minutes now, and Alex swore they'd pass the same group of trees for the 4th time.   
"We're lost." He muttered, not shifting from looking out the window.  
"No we're not." Max said, making another turn. "We're not lost, we're... stuck. Iz, hand me the map please." His sister handed him a map and Max studied it carefully while driving. "We're going the right way."  
"Maybe it's a mind warp." Michael said, eating a little bag of fruit snacks.   
"What?" Kyle arched an eyebrow, confused.  
"Maybe someone doesn't want us out of the forest." Michael said slowly.   
"Maybe it's Tess." Alex murmured. "She needs us, this is a signal."  
"Her power isn't that strong, she couldn't reach us, and if she wanted to ther are simpler ways." Isabel replied, looking back at him from the passenger seat.   
"Sorry." Alex said grumpily.   
"Whoa." Michael arched his eyebrows. "Hey Maxwell turn on the radio before we all start jumping at each other's throats." Max flipped on the radio and Dido's "Here With Me" came on. (A/N: He he, I'm listening to that now, to get me in my "Roswell" mood.) "Change the station!" Michael complained.  
"No, keep it!" Maria said. "I like this song."  
"This is a chick song!"  
"And the majority of us in here are chicks."  
"Let's just turn the radio off before you two start jumping at each other's throats." Max said, flipping it off. He knew the damage control factor when it came to Michael and Maria bickering constantly at each other.  
"Look, I found a way out of the circle." Max smiled, making a right turn instead of a left. They were on a smooth dirt road, cutting through the trees. The sun shone through the cluttered leaves, making a beautiful light spectacle through the windows.  
"This is beautiful." Liz commented, looking outside.   
"Heh." Michael chuckled.   
"What?" Liz asked, taking his chuckle as an insult.  
"Nothing, it's just, we're on the run from the FBI, Dead People, and Skins and all you can do is look out the window and say 'this is beautiful'. You're acting like Maria."  
"Excuse me?" Maria arched an eyebrow, crossing her arms.   
"Hey, cut it out." Max called from the driver's seat. "There's ntohign wrong with finding a little light in all this agony." He said softly, glancing back and smiling at Liz who smiled back.   
"So Grams, where did you hang around up there?" Alex asked. "I never saw you."  
"I stuck to the cirrus clouds. Nice surface for a game of poker." Grandma Claudia nodded.   
"Oh, I see. Yeah, I was kind of up there in Cumulous (Spelling?)."  
"I'm confused." Kyle blinked.  
"Don't worry about. You'd have to have been there." Alex smiled.  
"I'm not looking forward to it." Kyle said, crossing his legs, which caused Michael to chuckle again.   
"So where are we headed?" Isabel asked Max, looking at the map.  
"Well, I can see the highway up ahead, so we'll take that, go down those highways on the map and drive our way into Nevada."  
"Right back into the desert." Michael muttered.   
"Great, finally out of this forbidden forest." Maria leaned back, adjusting herself comfortably in the seat- when all of a sudden-  
"SHIT!" Max swerved the steering wheekl, making the van do a 180, falling slightly off the road and causing Maria to bump her head on the window.   
"What is it?" Liz asked, clinging onto her seat and her Grandma.   
"You won't beleive it." Max said, looking over his shoulder at everyone. "Pierce."  
"Good lord." Kyle muttered. Suddenly there was the clingity sound of bullets bouncing off the back of the van, causing him to jump up.   
"Don't be a pussy Kyle." Michael muttered, standing up and sliding open the van window on his side. He stuck his head out and saw Pierce in a car, his hand sticking out an open window shooting at the back of the van. He raised his hand out the window quickly, using his alien powers to bust the tires of Pierce's car. A few moments later, they all heard a loud screech and peered out their windows as they saw Pierce's car swerve into a tree at the side of the road.  
"Good work Michael." Max said, stepping hard on the gas pedal to get them as far away as possible. But, car trouble wouldn't stop Pierce and they heard more gunshots.   
"Jesus." Kyle opened his window too. and looked out and saw Pierce running towards them, gun in the air, bang, bang, bang! "F--- you!" He yelled, sticking out his hand and giving Pierce the finger. Kyle had it up to here with the alien bull, especially the FBI. Looking back out the window, Kyle blinked. "Hey! Look! He's not moving!" Michael looked out and saw Pierce, standing there mid-run as if frozen. "Did you do that?" Kyle asked Michael.  
"No..." Michael shook his head.  
"Show me." Courtney said, from inbetween the two, peering out the window. Kyle pointed at the frozen Pierce again, and all of a sudden, he started running again, as if nothing had happened.   
"What the-!?" Kyle ducked out of the way of a gunshot and looked at Michael.  
"Holy shit." Michael shook his head. "I prayed this day would never come."  
"What, what do you mean?" Kyle asked, perplexed.   
"None of can do that... unless Liz and Alex can..."   
"I can't." Liz replied quietly.  
"I don't think I can. I didn't move a muscle except for jmuping at the sound of gunshots..." Alex trailed off.  
"Are you saying... that I... Oh my god. I got my powers." Kyle stared at his hands looking at the green electric charges running through it. "Dude. This. Is. Awesome." He looked up, a big grin on his face. "I got my powers!" He jumped up excitedly. Liz and Alex grinned at him.   
"Sit down, Jose." Michael used his powers to sit Kyle down. "We're being shot at, there's no time to complain about that."  
"Shortcut." Max said, making another swift turn, causing the passangers in the back to sway back and forth slightly. "Whoa!" The van bounced up and down lightly as they found themsleves on a bumpy, rocky path. "It won't brake!" Max yelled. Michael got up and put his hand on the steering wheel, trying to make the van stop, but instead only accelerating further down the path until- Crash. Right into a tree. "Dammit." Max put his hand on the dashboard, using his powers and struggling to restart the car but it was no use.  
"It's totaled." Michael said, walking to the door and opening it. "If we all run fast enough we can-" Bang! "Damn!" Michael clutched his arm which was bleeding badly. Max and Isabel quickly got out of the van and Max put his hand on Michael's wound, healing it quickly. There was another gun shot that nearly missed Isabel and the sound of someone running towards them.   
"Pierce." Max grumbled, looking around.   
"That's right." Pierce, panted, walking into view, his gun raised and pointed at Max's chest. "I don't know who granted me this chance... to do what I should've done along time ago, but I'm thanking them." He grinned madly.   
"Use our powers, on three?" Isabel whispered.   
"One..." Michael counted,  
"Two..." Max raised his arm slightly.  
"Ah!" The was a bang and Isabel dropped to the ground.  
"Isabel!" Max and Michael shouted in unision, bending over her.   
"Where is the wound?" Max asked, there was blood all over her shirt and he didn't know where the wound actually was. Isabel held up her hand, Pierce had tried to get her in the heart, but she had blocked it with her hand. Alex ran out quickly.   
"Isabel!?" He cried, looking at her in fear. He ran forward followed by Liz, Kyle, and Courtney. Maria stayed inside with Grandma Claudia, trembling slightly.   
"Bastard." Kyle held his hand up at Pierce who froze in place, in the middle of reloading hsi gun.  
"Max, let me do it." Alex said, kneeling over Isabel. "You two should deal with Pierce."  
"Allright. I'm trusting you know what you're doing." Max said, standing up. Michael followed and they walked over to Pierce. Alex took Isabel's bleeding hand into his own and a soft white light emmited from it, the wound was gone and the bullet inside disinigrated. Isabel had her eyes squeezed shut from the pain but now fluttered them open, looking up at Alex.   
"Alex, did you heal me?" She said breathlessly. Alex nodded. "Thankyou." She hugged him quickly and Liz and Courtney helped her stand up, they watched Max and Michael approach Pierce who was still frozen.  
"I did it once Maxwell, I'll do it again." Michael raised his hand towards Pierce.  
"There doesn't seem to be any other way..."  
"Exactly."  
"We can't leave any clues behind this time, what if Pierce found a way to contact the remaining members of the special unit?"   
"I won't leave anything behind. But it's going to be big. Get everyone away from here quickly..."  
"Right." Max turned and ran towards anyone else, but there was a sound and Michael gasped loudly. Max turned around and saw Pierce finish reloading his gun. "Kyle! Do it again!"   
"There's no time!" Michael yelled, backing away slowly from Pierce who aimed the gun at his chest. "Just run!"   
"Liz, come on." Max took her hand with Maria's help they got Grandma Claudia out of the car and made their way up a sloping hill. They joined Isabel, Alex, Courtney and Kyle, waiting behind the hill as cover.  
"I killed you once, I'm prepared to re-finish the job." Michael said slowly.  
"Yes, you killed me. Now I'm seeking my revenge. Goodbye Michael Guerin." He pushed the lever on the gun slowly, and a bullet came speeding out. Michael felt his a popping crackily sound as he bent over backwards, falling down with a thud onto the leafy ground, with a defeaning silence... as the bullet whizzed overhead. Max stood up quickly from their hiding spot from the hills, extending his hand as a green forcefield protected everyone behind him. The bullet sped towards the forcefield and riccocheted (spelling?) off. Alex, still crouched on the ground, raised his hand and the bullet was pushed backwards and came hurtling towards Pierce again, over Michael who was still on the ground. The bullet hit Pierce's chest, and he clasped his heart, falling backwards, his white shirt was stained red. Max put down his hand and the forcefield faded, he jumped over the hill and ran over to Michael, helping him stand. Liz quickly followed her husband, and Courtney and Maria followed her, both running over to Michael and clinging to him. This left Alex trembling slightly, by himself, until Kyle walked over to him, giving him a hand and helping him stand up.   
"Alex... you okay?" Kyle asked. Alex stared at Max.   
"Max... did I... did I..." He couldn't choke out the words. Max turned to face him, an arm draped protectively around Liz.   
"You... you killed him Alex." Max said softly. "But he was already dead."  
"Yea, don't let it get on your concoince." Michael said, wriggling away from the two blondes next to him. Isabel, and Grandma Claudia also joined the group at the bottom of the hill.   
"Max, what do we do now?" Isabel asked, glancing at Pierce's body. Max winced in annoyance at the question.  
"First we get rid of that. Then..." He walked over to the van examining it. "It won't work. Not even if we use our powers. We'll all hike until we find a place to camp out. Michael and I will get rid of Pierce's body, everyone else, clean up the van." He let go of Liz and Michael joined him, they picked up Pierce's body and disappeared off into the woods.   
  
"How much stuff do you have?" Kyle asked Maria, who had several mini backpacks on her arms.   
"It's all clothes." Maria explained, hunching the 7 backpacks and walking after Michael who had some sleeping bags and mats under his arms.   
"So what type of place are we looking for?" Kyle asked Max, who led the gang along with Liz.   
"Somewhere far away from Pierce's body. More towards the center of the forest. Not a clearing, but big enough for everything. Somewhere no one will stumble upon us."  
"And also somewhere, that skins could surround us at anytime." Michael cut in. Max paused for a moment.  
"Liz was right though. We can't keep running. We have to go with what comes. They don't have a good chance of finding us anyway. They want us to come to them."  
"Well, they might use Tess." Isabel said softly.  
"How so?" Kyle joined in the alien's discussion. Finding himself, as 'one of them' now that his latent powers had arrived.  
"She was able to sense us when we used our powers. Max, Michael, and I. That's how she found us."  
"How did you know that?" Max asked over his shoulder.  
"Because I sensed her earlier. She was using her powers. Maybe an attempt, a call for help, who knows..."  
"Maybe she's using her powers to find us!" Michael cut in sharply. "Alex, is it true, can Tess track us?" He glanced back at the very end of their line, Alex walked along silently. "Alex."  
"Yes." Alex snapped, practically glaring at Michael. "Yes." He softened his voice. "She can track you."  
"Alot of power of ours was just used, Maxwell. They might be after us."  
"Tess wouldn't sell us out!" Alex cut in angrily once again. Michael looked at Alex strangely. He felt like an accused criminal.   
"We just won't use our powers for awhile." Max said, leading them on.   
  
"Here." The alien king dropped all his cargo and placed his hands on his ghips, glancing around.   
"Here? There's barely any room, there's a bunch of trees everywhere." Maria complained, looking around.  
"That's because it's a forest." Michael cut in, throwing down his stuff and sitting down against a tree.   
"And we need cover. These trees will come in handy in case of any surprises." Max glanced around at everyone and then upwards. "If a helicopter flew over us, presumely, an FBI helicopter, the trees give enough shading to block us. If skins approach on land, we have places to hide, places to run. If we found a clearing, we'd be visable to the whole world." Max sat down and began to unfold a sleeping mat. He glanced up. "The sun sets fast. We should get set in. Grandma Claudia and Maria will sleep in the center, because they can't defend themselves." Maria scoffed at this. "Liz, Isabel, and Courtney will be centered close to them, then Alex and Kyle, and Michael and I will take watch."  
"Yes, Alien Commando- sir." Kyle said, creeping into a sleeping bag. Liz approached her husband.  
"So, no sharing the sleeping bag?" She said playfully. Max smiled.  
"Not tonight at least." He pulled her into a close hug and kissed her forehead and then her lips softly. "Sweet dreams."  
"You too. Night." Liz walked back to her sleeping place and crept in. Max was right. The sun did set fast.   
  
Alex sat up, awake in the moonlight hour. He couldn't get to sleep. He might rest for 5 minutes only to be awoken again, by, this clenching feeling in the pit of his stomache. He leaned against the tree behind him and propped the pillow up against it as well. Turning to his side, he picked up one of the bags he had been carrying earlier that day and had plopped down next to him. It was Liz's. He pulled out Tess's old clothing. Not wanting to seem like a creep, he checked to see where Max and Michael were. By bending over he could make the out. They could barely see him, let alone know he was awake. Alex brushed the worn fabric of her shirt against his cheek. It felt soft, against his growing stubble. And it smelled like her. Okay, Alex, put the clothing away before we up the creep factor another notch. He stuffed her clothing back into Liz's bag and kept digging. Past some of Liz's unmentionables, he pulled out a disposable camera. His disposable camera. From that day on the four corners. Alex stared at the camera, thinking for awhile. Without a warning, he waved his hand over it and he held a stack of developed pictures in his hands. Matte finish. He glanced at the first one, a very surprised picture of Tess Harding, holding another disposable camera in her hand. Still beautiful. He smiled to himself and flipped through the pictures, all of Tess. Tess running away, Tess trying to escape the evil camera flash, Tess actually giving up and smiling in one. He held the picture close to his heart. How things change... He went through the pictures a couple times more, never getting tired, staring at some pictures, for a good 5 minutes. Finally, about an hour later, sleep began to take over him. Alex let his eyelids close and then lazily placed his index finger on the stack of photos in his other hands. That's when it happened. _Whoosh_. He saw stars. No. They weren't stars. They were orbs. Many, many of them, and he was zooming right towards one. A romantic deep pink colored orb. He was afraid he would break it, the orbs were made of glass or something, but as he zoomed closer, he could see pictures moving around inside the orb, and just like... that! He was inside the orb. No, inside the pictures. No! Inside a dream.   
  
"Alex!" His name was being called faintly. He barely heard it, but yearned to listen more to the musical voice. "Alex!" He was called again. He span around to take in his surrounds. He was in the forest. Still in the forest. Except now, he was on a hill. A hill, in the middle of a clearing of trees.   
"Who is it!?" Alex called back.   
"Alex!" It was a shrill scream again... someone was in pain. Or pleasure. Either one, Alex was curious to find out. There it came again, even more agonizing then before. We could ex out the pleasure, right about now. Alex's ears perked up. He recognized that voice.  
"Tess!" He cried back, glancing around the empty hill. No one was there. He took a few steps down the slope, glancing southwards, holding his hand above his eyes, although it was nighttime, and there was no sun to block. Suddenly he heard a gasp from behind him and spun around quickly seeing a small framed girl with filthy blonde hair, panting heavily, on her knees.   
"Tess!" He ran back towards her, picking her up in his arms. She coughed miserably. "Tess." He whispered, stroking her hair as she continued to cough.   
"Alex..." She managed to choke out, clinging to him. He felt his shirt become wet and hot and realised she was crying into it. "I'm so sorry. For what I did." She whispered.  
"It was Khivar, Tess." Alex said, continuing to stroke her hair. Once the coughing died down, he pushed her away slightly, placing his hands on her shoulder, trying to get a good look at her. She had so many scratches across her once beautiful face, and dry leaves scattered her hair, and her shirt was ripped and torn in many places. The shorts she was wearing was also ripped badly, quite high actually. Alex suddenly felt worried and angry. What if Khivar did something bad to her? If he even layed a finger on her... Alex would, he would have no choice, but to...  
"I love you." It was the faintest whisper, and tears streamed down her cheeks as she looked up at him. Alex was immediately pulled out of his thoughts.  
"What?"   
"I love you." Tess cried, glancing around.   
"I, I-" Alex began, looking at her awkwardly. "I-" Suddenly, Tess grabbed his collar and pushed him down onto the grassy slope where they rolled down together a little ways. She layed her head flat on his chest, listening to his heart beat quickly. Or listening to something else.   
"Alex." She said seriously, trying to gain composure, but still lying ontop of him. "I love you and that's why I need to tell you, to get everyone away. It's a trap. If you come it's a trap. Max is right, just leave without me. I'll be fine, I know what to do." She whispered quickly. Alex furrowed his brow.   
"No...what? No! Tess! No, I'm not letting you sacrifice yourself again!" Alex held her hand tightly. "You can't do that, I won't let you!"  
"But you have to. It's a trap." She said, wiping her eyes quickly. "Khivar will kill you, and I can't live with that."  
"And if you kill yourself, then there's no point in living." Alex whispered, looking directly into her eyes. A tear dropped from her cheek onto his face, he pulled her close to him, their faces inches apart.   
"It's a trap." Tess whispered. She opened her mouth to speak again, when Alex wrapped an arm around her head pushing her lips onto his. "Mm." Tess half moaned, half cried. "No, Alex, you have to listen to me-"  
"Shh." Alex kissed her again, this time softly and he even swore he could feel her melting right there. It was amazing the effect HE had on HER.   
"Alex." Tess murmured before returning his kiss. She pulled away quickly, sitting up ontop of him. "He's coming." Alex heard the sky rumble as rain began to drop quickly from the Heavens. _What... the heck? _"Don't come." She whispered, crawling off him, and pickingh erself off and running quickly into the forest.   
"No!" Alex called after her, sitting up, his hand outstretched. "I love you!"  
  
"I love you!" Alex whispered hoarsely. His eyes jerked open and he looked at his surroundings. Still dark. He leaned forward while wiping the sweat off his forehead. So much for the night watch, Max and Michael were both asleep. Alex glanced around at all the sleeping bodies and spotting the one he was looking for, got himself untangled from his sleeping mat and slowly crept over to Kyle's sleeping bag. "Kyle." Alex said quietly, shaking him.  
  
"Mmmm Buffy..." Kyle grunted. Alex furrowed his eyebrow. _Oh sick! _  
"Kyle!" He whispered a bit louder.   
"Oh yeaaaa." Kyle grinned. Alex hit him in the shoulder. "Ow! What the fu-" Alex covered Kyle's mouth with his hand, muffling his curses as beside him, Courtney began to stir. Alex lifted his hand away, wiping it on his jeans. "What the hell, Alex?" Kyle asked, running a hand through his hair.  
"I... I had a vision. Sort of."  
"A vision?"  
"Actually... I think... I think I dreamwalked."  
"Dreamwalked? Awesome, man, thanks for waking me up in the middle of the night to tell me that!"  
"No, you don't understand... I think I could find where Tess is. But... I need you to come with me."  
"Why!?"  
"I can't go alone, and no one else will come with me. Not even Liz. Please Kyle for your sister..." Alex pleaded. Kyle glanced at him strangely, arching an eyebrow.   
"What exactly are you planning...?"  
  
"Got everything, enough food, salt, water, abercrombie shirts-" Alex said sarcastically, looking at Kyle's huge pack.   
"I don't have that much crap." Kyle glanced at his watch. "I'm guessing...we'll be going now. They'll probably wake up in about an hour."  
"Yea. Let's go." Alex glanced around at the group, promising silently, that he'd bring Tess back and they'd all be able to go run away from the FBI together. Like it should've been. He turned again and made his way through the winding trees with Kyle following at his heels... _I'm coming Tess.   
  
_A/N: We're off to see the alien, the awesome alien called Tess! :P. Okay, the ending of this chapter makes me think of the ending of LOTR, with Frodo and Sam going off, but hoper-fully, I can get the next chapter up before a year! :)  
  
-Sibby  
  
  
  
  
  



	10. Ch10

Alive  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Roswell. :P.  
  
Shout Outs:  
  
Thanks all the Reveiwes so far!!  
  
Everyone-Sorry about my horrible typo's/spelling/grammar mistakes in the last chapter! I'm really really sorry about that! I feel like such an idiot, because I'm not a bad speller, but I don't type the way I'm supposed to, so I always make typo's and it's really annoying! But I'm using spell check this time!  
  
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"Alex, we've been walking in a circle for the past hour..." Kyle mumbled, adjusting the pack on his back. "I think, we're lost."  
"We're not lost." Alex said, looking around. "I just don't know where we're going." He took a few more paces ahead, stopping to look around. He furrowed his eyebrows spotting something. "Hey ... there's another path here!" Alex said estactically, running over to a dark gap in the trees, barely visible in the now just rising sun.   
"No, duh." Kyle muttered, following him. "I've seen that everytime we came around the circle."  
"Why didn't you saying anything!?" Alex asked frantically, turning around.  
"Uh... I was following you." Kyle shrugged.  
"Er..." Alex bit his bottom lip. "Right." He continued walking and swatting aside the different plants and tree branches that stuck out in their path. "What exactly are we looking for anyway? I mean, besides your big hill in the middle of nowhere."  
"It's a big grassy hill, surrounded by millions of trees. The moon hovers right over it, and-"  
"And when you sing into the wind the little nymphs come out and seduce you." Kyle finished sarcastically. Alex shot him a glance and continued to walk forward.  
"Oops I did it again..." Kyle hummed softly as they walked through the path. Alex shot him a death glare.  
"Kyle, this isn't funny! We have to find Tess!"  
"Chill, lover-boy." Kyle raised his hands defensively and followed silently. They walked for almost 45 minutes through their new path, which had yet to provide a twist or turn, when the faint shouts hit them-  
  
_"Alex!"  
"Kyle!"  
  
_"Should we answer?" Kyle asked Alex. Alex shook his head quickly.  
"No. They'd stop us, and if Liz is smart enough, she'll know where we went. Come on." They continued down the path, as the sun rose into the sky, clearly lighting their way. They finally reached a fork in the road. There was a path, a cobblestone path set to their left, leading deep into an even thicker muster of trees. To their right the dirt path continued and the foliage was thin enough to let the sun shine through as it had been doing on their previous route.   
"Right is right." Kyle said from behind Alex. "Dad taught me that."  
"Interesting." Alex gave a short smile and led the way to the right. They walked along this path for only 5 minutes when it started branching out into different paths. Alex stood there, stunned. There must've been about 13 different exits-but which one to go through? He blinked and looked around again-and there was only one path making another right, farther down their path that he could see. He furrowed his brow, deeply perplexed and looked at Kyle. "Are you seeing what I am?"  
"I see...1,2,3..." He began to count the different paths. "13 different paths."  
"No ... look again... I keep seeing 13... and then I see 1..." Alex closed his eyes and opened then again, looking around. Kyle did the same and became just as confused as Alex, probably even more. "What do you think it is? This must be some mirage, I mean how long has it been since we ate?" Kyle asked, throwing off his backpack and taking out a candybar.   
"No ... it's no mirage, but close." Alex said affirmatively. "It's... It's a mindwarp. It's two mindwarps." Alex took a step forward towards one of the open paths, and stood right infront of it. He cleared his mind and glanced straight at it again, and there was no path there, just a barrier of trees.   
"Minewarphs?" Kyle asked, his mouth full of chocolate.   
"Khivar must've set up a mindwarp, because he knew that'd we'd be getting close ... or something... God, there must've been tons of mindwarps, we could've fallen into. We might be in one now... but, that wouldn't happen because someone is trying show us the real path!" Alex exclaimed, running over to the one path. "She's trying, and if Tess could reach us out here, we must be getting closer." Alex said relieved.  
"Damn. You're smart." Kyle picked up his backpack, slinging it over his shoulder and walked over to the one open path with Alex. "So you think the fork in the road ... maybe there was no fork in the road? Maybe Khivar set up the cobblestone path, to lead us off the dirt path, but Tess was able to get the dirt path, back into our vision?"  
"That's a very good guess, I'd have to agree." Alex said, turning to their right and walking once again through the wooded path. After an hour of walking, on a not exactly straight, but what seemed to be diagonal path, with no surprises, they stopped to take a break. Alex slid down against a tree and closed his eyes, clearing his mind and concentrating only on Tess. The memories slid by him quickly, but slow enough for him to savor.  
  
_ "Tess, I'm sorry about blowing up on you yesterday at the diner." Alex said. Tess looked up at him, surprised. "I mean, that was totally out of my character, that was something Michael would've said." He said almost with a laugh.  
"Alex, you don't have to be sorry about anything." Tess said, looking over at him. Her eyes burned into his like hot coals and Alex was trying to force himself to pull away from her strangely sincere gaze. It made him feel uncomfortable.  
  
"Hey look Tess! I'm in Arizona-but now I'm in Colorado!" Alex said, taking a diagonal step. Tess smiled. Maybe he was finally shedding the anger after all.   
"Hold on." Tess said, she put on her sunglasses and walked over to the souvenir booth in the New Mexico quarter. "A disposable camera please." Tess said. The guy nodded and handed her one and Tess handed him back some cash. "Oh Alex..." Tess said, holding up the camera. Alex turned while in the middle of jumping from state to state as Tess took a picture.  
"Hey!" Alex said, being blinded by the flash.   
"Gotcha!" Tess laughed. Alex grinned.   
  
"I didn't know if I could live, having you hate me any, longer." Tess whispered back. "It's just ... there's something about you. Everyday on this strange adventure, I hate myself even more and more for what I did to you. I killed you." Tess whispered.  
"Maybe so, but for some reason...just being here, this close to you...is making me feel so...alive." Alex said. He bit his lip and felt his cheeks blush. Had he just said that outloud?   
  
"I just...can't believe...this doesn't seem real. It seems to good for me." Tess whispered. Alex shook his head.  
"No. It's real. It has to be real."  
  
_"Hey Alex ... don't fall asleep." Kyle said, kicking him in the leg. Alex winced and grabbed his leg.  
"Ow. Dammit, Kyle! I wasn't falling asleep, I was thinking!"  
"Oh. Sorry." Kyle extended his hand, helping his friend up. "Where to now, Columbus?" Kyle asked, glancing down the path.  
"Well, we seem to only have one way to go... We'll just keep following the path, their. There seems to be a turn to the right, once again, a little bit farther down."   
"Okay, then." Kyle took a deep breath and picked up his backpack, and handed Alex his. "We're off to see the alien, the wonderful alien of Oz." He smirked. Alex glanced back at him, irritated, and then they set off down the path. They were walking for thirty minutes down the diagonal dirt path, when the reached the corner of the turn. They looked at each other reassuringly and then Alex took a step forward into the turn, which was engulfed in darkness by the thick tree leaves ahead. The second he stepped into the seemingly eternal backness, he stepped back out, a shocked look on his face. Kyle looked at him quizzically.  
"Isabel..." Alex mumbled, backing into a tree trunk. Isabel emerged from the darkness... but it wasn't Isabel.   
"Not Isabel... Vilandra." She said, her voice echoing through the woods and causing the birds to flap from their nests in the trees. Her eyes were glossy and black and seemed to be focused on everything going on around them.  
"Vilandra..." Alex repeated. "Nice running into you, mind moving aside?" He asked weakly. Vilandra shook her head.  
"I can't let you go forward." She spoke in quick monotone.  
"Well, you have to."  
"No." She waved her hand sending Alex smacking back into the tree behind him, as well as knocking over the trees around him. Kyle quickly ran to the rescue, and dragged Alex out of the way of the tumbling trees.   
"Shit! What's wrong with her?" Kyle asked, gasping for breath.  
"I don't know." Alex panted, looking up at Vilandra who loomed over them like a dark princess. Like Persephone, the fair wife of Hades. "Isabel! Stop it!" He yelled out.  
"Not Isabel!" Vilandra screamed, raising her hand at him. Alex felt a sharp pain in his chest and screamed out. She was using his powers and crushing his heart, little by little, but extremely painful. Kyle looked around in confusion and idiotically ran forward and thrust himself at Isabel, knocking them both down. Alex clutched his chest taking quick deep breaths and watching in terror as Kyle was thrown some 20 feet in the air and then fell back down.   
"Shit!" Kyle grabbed his right leg tightly the pain inching up in the veins.   
"Kyle!" Alex yelled, running forward to his side. "Hold on, stop squirming!" Alex said, trying to position his hand over Kyle's leg.   
"It's sort of hard!" Kyle winced. Alex's eyes glowed and widened as the soft white light emmitted from it and began to fixed the fracutres in Kyle's leg bones. He could feel that he was almost fully in and connected, when an arm seixed him around the neck and dragged him away. Alex was pushed up against a tree and met Isabel, er, Vilandra's infuriated face. Her hand clutched his throat.  
"You were a fun human to play with." Vilandra smirked. "You treated me like the true queen I was, and deserved to be. How sweet. You might've made a satisfactory king. Much better than by pathetic brother and his wimpy wife would've been. However, I always knew you had a weakness, particularly for blonde aliens?" She smirked and tilted her heads.  
"No Isabel, this isn't you." Alex squeaked out, his vocal cords being cut off by Vilandra's hand.  
"You were also pretty fun, Kyle." Vilandra said, glancing back at the man on the ground. "You don't know how times I've dreamwalked you. Very amusing. It's too bad it had to end this way, I would've liked to try some of those dreams, you know?" She smirked and arched an eyebrow, keeping her firm grip on Alex's neck.  
"Bytch." Kyle muttered. Vilandra's smirk faded and her lips parted slightly.  
"Excuse me?"  
"I said, Bytch!" Kyle yelled from the ground. "As in, you!"  
"No, Kyle, this isn't Isabel!" Alex protested, struggling to get free.   
"My ass. Vilandra and Isabel, Zan and Max, one in the same. History always repeats itself." Kyle said, scooting himself up into a sitting position and then rasing his hand at Vilandra in an attempt ot freeze her. Nothing happened and Vilandra let out a haughty chuckle and supremity.  
"Pathetic human. You fool! My powers are thousands of times greater than yours will ever be, you're only second rate. The thought of your powers surpassing mine, is foolish. Let me demonstrate..." She pulled her hand away from Alex who dropped to the ground and raised at Kyle who levitated slowly off the ground. Alex could sense the fear growing inside of him, it was written in his eyes. As was the pain when there was a loud '_crack!_' and Isabel snapped his leg.  
"AGH!" Kyle moaned in pain, trying to hold onto his leg while cursing and muttering words about Buddha preserving him. Alex took a few steps tentatively behind Vilandra slowly, his eyes meeting Kyle's. Of course, Kyle had been disverting Vilandra to draw her attention away from Alex. _Crack! _It was followed by another painful scream from Kyle. Shit, he had to work fast. Alex looked around and found a log half burrowed in the leaves nearby. He raisedhis hands slowly lifting the log up from the ground. It wasn't like Vilandra would hear over Kyle's agonizing moans.   
"Ha!" Vilandra laughed again, moving onto Kyle's other leg. _Crack! _  
"I'm sorry about this Isabel, I really am!" Alex cried before moving his hand swiftly and sending the log bonking hard into Vilandra's head. There were three thuds, one as Kyle fell, one as Vilandra fell, and one for the log. Kyle grimaced and sat there silently for awhile, but as Alex approached he saw the tear stained cheeks and bent out of shape legs. He turned hearing Vilandra move about. Surely he had rendered her unconcious with that blow? It was something he didn't want to do.  
"Alex?" She asked in a whispered, frowning and shaking her head. Alex looked at Kyle and then back to Vilandra, or Isabel, or whatever, and approached cautiously and slowly.   
"Isabel?"  
"Yea." Isabel mumbled. "Alex... did you, did you hit me with a log?"   
"Yea." Alex breathed out with a sigh of relief, bending down towards her. "I'm sorry about that Iz, there was no other way."  
"I... I became her, didn't I? I became Vilandra?"  
"Yea." Alex nodded.   
"Oh my gosh!" Isabel sat up quickly, holding her throbbing and bleeding head and glancd over at Kyle, tears welling up in her eyes. "Kyle!"  
"Don't bother, I'm fine." Kyle muttered, trying to sit up but failing.  
"I can't beleive I did this to you!" Isabel said, tears flowing down her cheeks as Alex helped her crawl over to him. She turned to Alex quickly. "Did I hurt you, Alex!?"  
"Not too much." Alex said, rubbing his neck.   
"I don't know how it happened... it was like Khivar awakened something in me..." Isabel shivered, taking Kyle's hand. "I remember, I woke before the others and realized you two were gone. I left and walked around aimlessly for awhile, until I was able to sense you and I followed you... that's all I remember, because after that... Khivar must've some how seized hold off me and used me to try to stop you." Isabel cried, tears falling freely. "I'm so sorry."   
"Iz. It's not you. It's not you." Alex said, placnig a hand comfortingly on her shoulder and pulling her into a hug. Isabel burried her face in his shoulder and cried softly for a few moments.  
"Guys... my leg... is in alot of pain." Kyle muttered, starring at the suddenly clear blue sky that shone through the canopy of tall trees above.   
"Right!" Alex said, pulling away and shifting into position, placing a hand above Kyle's legs. Once again, the soft white shine emitted and Alex was connected and in. He could feel Kyle's bones healing and piecing themselves back together as if he were healing himself. Just a few more fractures and-  
"Alex!" Isabel said urgently, looking up at the sky. Alex shifted his attention upwards as the once clear blue sky was now darkened and filling with dark grey clouds. "Khivar..." Isabel muttered as lightning suddenly struck and rain began to fall.  
"He can control the weather!?" Kyle whined, sitting up. "We're in deep shit."  
"We have to go!"   
"I'm not done healing Kyle!" Alex protested. Kyle pushed Alex's hands away and helped himself up but his legs were still weak and in slight pain but nothing compare to before.  
"I'm fine, we need to go and find somewhere else, Khivar obviously knows where we are!" Kyle suggested. Alex nodded and grabbed both the backpacks, slinging them over his shoulder. Kyle draped an arm across Isabel's shoulder and she helped him limp quickly as they exitted to a thicker brush of canopy trees to shield against the rain that was already dampening them. "You know... they say you shouldn't be near trees in a thunderstorm..." Kyle murmured, looking up at the almost complete blackness with specs of grey around the leaves. As if some godly (or in Kyle's case, buddhaly) force had heard them, there was a loud whip crack of thunder that electrified the tree to their right.   
"Great timing Kyle!" Isabel muttered sarcastically, dragging him forward. Alex panted and turned around just as the tree began to shake and the earth rumbled beneath him.  
"Crap!" Alex muttered, grabbing Isabel's hand and hurrying her and Kyle both out of the way.  
"Alex!" Isabel screamed. Alex turned around seeing the tree beside the one that had just now fallen beside him with a loud thud, was now shaking and making it's way down as well.   
"Run! Go!" Alex yelled. Isabel dragged Kyle along with her away from the falling trees and hopefully out of harm's way. Alex raised his hand in frustration at the tree, which was beginning to tip over and came closer and closer like a heavy hammer towards him. Suddenly, it stopped in mid-air about 35 feet above him. Alex strained and squinted his eyes against the falling rain and used his powers to raise it up further. After moving it another 20 feet back up, Alex quickly ran forward, and a few seconds later he heard the tree fall back down with a thud. Looking to his side, the next tree began to repeat the pattern. He began to run forward but the dirt was turning into slick mud and the two back packs on his back were weighing him down. "Dammit!" Alex said, nearly escaping the tree behind him and throwing both backpacks off his shoulder as quickly as possible. he began to sprint forward on the dirt path, the trees falling down behind him and threatening to quicken their falling pace, faster and faster. he felt a sharp pain in his side, lurching him into the mud on the ground. He quickly picked himself up, not bothering tro wipe his face free off the mud and running through the wet puddles, occasionally beginning to slip every now and then. He fell again, and it took him longer to get up this time, and he splashed around in the mud for a few moments before being able to get onto his knees and pull himself up. As he got up he saw the dark shadow looming before him, darkening the already night shade ground. The bark wasn't that many feet away from him and he could feel it, as he pushed himself to run as fast as he could, to no avail. _Think of Tess, Think of Tess! _Alex screamed in his mind, concentrating on the soft sound off his feet splashing on the mud as he ran and nothing else but Tess. He opened his eyes seeing a clearing through the gaps of the thick trees. If he could just get there- "Oomph!" Alex's face met the mud a third time. He panted hard and flipped onto his back as the tree loomed closer. He closed his eyes in fear, hearing the loud 'swoosh' as the tree penetrated the surrounding air and bore down onto- just a few inches from his face. Alex's eyes lit up in wonder as the tree was pushed back up and into place, quicker than it had come down. "Tess." He breathed out in relief. Taking a moment or two, to catch his breath, Alex pushed himself up and began to wipe off the sticky mud from his sweater. It wasn't working very well and he simply pulled it off, revealing a clean (well, not necessarily clean since it hadn't been washed in forever) white shirt and letting the bitter cold air sting him. But if felt good. Alex could feel he was closer and it was if the sun was shining again, except it was not. The gray skies had lightened, and Alex could still see the clearing from a gap within the trees ahead. Cautiously, he made his way through, watching the canopy for any signs off more avalanching trees. Using his powers to easily brush aside a small bushes he found Isabel and Kyle, sitting down on the damp ground, apparently in some type of natural ditch. There was a sloping wall off grass before them. Alex looked up. It wasn't just a clearing. It was the hill.   
"Is this it?" Kyle asked, looking up at him while stripping out of his jean jacket.   
"Yea." Alex nodded, his gaze not leaving the peak of the hill.   
"Do you think, he's here?" Isabel asked, fear tracing in her voice.  
"I don't know." Alex sighed. "But she is." He took slowly took giant steps up the hill, leaving Isabel and Kyle in the ditch as he made his way up there. Halfway up, he paused, the grass blew in the wing against his legs, but he wasn't paying attention. His eyes, mouth, and particularly ears were focusing on the wind. Because he had heard something. The wind had carried a voice to him.   
"_Alex!_" The shout came again, distinctly from the other side of the hill. Alex spun on his feet, running up the slope with difficulty and almost falling down when he reached the flat top. He steadied himself and slowly walked towards the edge of the flat top, on the other side where the voices seemed to come from. He looked forward seeing just the grassy hills, and nothing but them rolling in the breeze.   
"Alex." There was a footstep and a series of panting breaths from behind him. He turned around and saw her there, breathless and weak. She was just the same as in his dream. Scratched across the face, her clothing ripped and torn. But the sight of her was so breath taking, and she was beautiful just standing there, very real, before his own sight.  
"Tess." Alex said, taking quick strides over to her and pulling her into his arms.  
"You came for me." She whispered into his shoulder.  
"Yea. I had to find you." Alex murmured, running his hand through her hair. He looked down at her, seeing the tear stained face with new fresh tears falling. "Because... because I love you, Tess. I love you." He choked out, pulling her to him and kissing her passionately. He heard Tess cry into his mouth as she wrapped her arms around his shoulder and he supported her as she almost fell down.  
"I love you too." She whispered, pulling back for a chance to get an intake of air and then re-closing the distance between them.   
  
"Isn't that sweet?" A deep male voice said from behind them... and it wasn't Kyle.   
  


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Geez, I wonder how long it took me to the finally finish this one chapter. The scene with Isabel as Vilandra was really hard to write for me because I kept getting writer's block.  
  
Anyways, only one more chapter to go! *tears of sadness, tears of joy.*  
  
I may do a re-write on some chapters though. Just telling you ahead of time!  
  
-Sibby  


  
  
  



	11. The Final Confrontation

Alive  
  
-The Final Confrontation-  
  
By: In Fair Verona/Sibby  
  
~  
  
Disclaimer: It's not mine...  
  
~  
  
A/N: Well, here it is. The final chapter of 'Alive'. Everything's gonna be solved, everything's gonna come together, and we'll see what happens. I already have the ending planned in my mind (I have for a while) so unfortunately I must say, due to the planned ending and my lack of time, there will be no sequel. I have thoroughly enjoyed working on this story and it will definitely be weird not writing any more chapters. Maybe, once my time is more available again and more of my fanfics will be completed, I will indulge you with another Fifthwheeler story. This has truly been extremely fun, and I probably never would've done this if not for one day getting bored with the usual CC Stargazer-ness and stumbling through fanforum and finding the Fifthwheeler's thread. That opened up a world of possibilities for me then and there and I quickly became adept to the idea of Tess/Alex. It's thanks to Fifthwheeler's that I got over hating Tess, and thanks to Fifthwheelers that all of a sudden I've gone on a UC shipping spree (Of course, nothing wavers my Dreamer heart.) I would definitely like to thank MagnusXXN, and Chrissy, two very faithful Fifthwheelers who have put in their suggestions for the story. Thank you so much you two!  
Thank you to every single reviewer who has read/reviewed and here it is...  
  
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Tess buried her face into his chest, her cheeks were red and harsh from leaking with tears and it burned fiercely as her faced rubbed against his worn T-shirt. But she didn't care. She pushed herself as close as she possibly could to him. She had withstood more pain than this and would go through even more to be reunited with Alex again. There was only one problem. Alex had fallen right into Khivar's trap.   
  
"When you're done swooning and mooning over each other, let me know." The deep voice thundered. Alex and Tess stood unaffected, wrapped up in each other's arms without paying attention. "I have a few romantic moments I need to get through myself." He waved his arm and in a blooding curdling scream Isabel appeared before them, falling into the alien dictator's arms. Hearing the shriek, followed by a faint yelp from Kyle, Tess and Alex pulled apart slowly, keeping their arms encircled around another for safety, but looking at the evil alien head on. "Glad you could join us Vilandra." The blonde alien ran his hand through her short auburn hair, holding her close to him. "I preferred you as a blonde, but none of that matters anymore, we're together and now that we have Alex here as bait, it won't be long before Zan comes to the rescue and I finish him off-for good this time." He grinned, holding onto Vilandra's waist tightly.   
"Khivar!" Isabel said in frustration, trying to push herself away. Alex frowned and looked from Tess to Isabel to Khivar.  
"Khivar ... you're sick." Tess snapped, glaring at him and holding on tighter to Alex. "A sick ... twisted ... insidious bastard."   
"Yes. I am." He gazed at the human and the alien queen, and eyed them suspiciously. His eye twitched suddenly and Tess let out a painful cry. Khivar smirked triumphantly.  
"Ah!" Tess cried, limping onto her knees. Alex quickly rushed down on his knees as well, holding her at his side.  
"Tess, what's wrong? Tess what did he do?"  
"I'm fine, I'm fine." Tess breathed all of a sudden. "He's just using his powers..."  
"He's hurting you!" Alex said fiercely. He stood up and faced Khivar, who seemed very careless and nonchalant. "Hey!" Alex barked, calling his attention away from Isabel. Alex grabbed onto Isabel's hand and pulled her easily out of Khivar's grasp. "Go to Kyle ... now." He demanded, standing in front of Isabel and Tess and before Khivar. Isabel didn't need telling twice and she took off.   
"Alex what are you doing?" Tess said painfully, seeing the man she loved standing in front of the most powerful alien alive. An alien who could hurt him easily. "Alex, don't, stay back-"  
"No. I'm not as easy as he thinks. No one is going to hurt the people I care about. It's his fault that we're all in this predicament anyway. And I am going to make him pay for it! I'm going to unleash my fury because it wouldn't be this way if he didn't-"  
"Alex!" Tess cried. "If it wasn't for him ... would Isabel, Max, Michael, and I be here? If it weren't for him, would Max and Michael have met Liz and Maria? If it weren't for him, I'd still be living on Antar unhappily with Max. If it wasn't for him, would I have fallen in love with you?" Her voice stung his heart fiercely and he turned his back to Khivar and looked at her pleadingly.   
"Tess, you can't expect me to just let him off the hook?"  
"You're not strong enough Alex, I just don't want you getting hurt-"  
"I have my powers!"  
"I know you do, Alex, I know you do. But it doesn't matter ... he'll always be stronger. He defeated Max and Michael together, Alex, don't forget..."  
"I can't just let hi-" Alex was cut off as he was levitated off the ground and his hands wrapped around his neck. A ragged gagging noise escaped his throat and Tess screamed out.  
"Khivar! Stop!" She crawled over on her weak legs, the muddy dirt rubbing all over her knees as she approached and raised her hand at his face. A soft cerulean blue and white translucent light emitted from it and stung him in the eye, he blinked and Alex dropped to the floor. Tess crawled over to his body and laid his head in her lap.  
"Why do people always find the need to choke me?" Alex murmured... "Second time today..."  
"Alex..." Tess said softly, caressing his hair with her hands. "Alex!" She called out as she was thrown backwards on the hill and away from him.  
"Tess!" Alex yelled, struggling to get on his feet again.   
"I'm getting bored with this soap opera. I have much attending to do until Zan arrives." With a snap of his finger, the hoards of skins that was once there before surrounded them all, filing in and climbing up the big hill. A girl skin with long auburn hair grasped Alex tightly, digging her nails into his skin and another female evil alien had already held Tess down at her knees. Moments later, two bulky males emerged through the crowd holding Isabel and a limping Kyle. "I think this will be interesting." Khivar sighed, raising his hands in a circular motion. The canopy of trees surrounding the hill around suddenly grew and stretched towards them. They encircled and ensnared each other, the complex branches and vines hovered over what once was a peaceful clearing. As the trees thickened to become a black out roof, almost total darkness engulfed them. "Drink, my children." Khivar said, hands still raised as the thunder boomed and rain began to fall through the tiny cracks, replenishing the millions of hoards of skins. The last thing Alex saw, in the barely visible surroundings was Khivar snapping his fingers, the sound echoing through the forest, and Tess's hopeful eyes, before something hit hard across the back of his skull. Then, nothing was visible at all anymore.   
  
"What's happening? Is he having a seizure?"  
"No, no! He's coming to... Alex... Alex? Are you awake?"  
"Um...huh?" Alex mumbled, hearing Tess's voice calling out to him. He blinked and cleared the blurred vision from his eyes to see Tess peering over above him carefully. "Tess!"  
"That means he's awake." Kyle explained to Isabel. Alex looked around at the three others and frowned.   
"Where are we?" Alex asked. The sky was a dark blue and the stars and distant galaxies twinkled before them. On either side of Alex was grass sloped and piled up high. "Are we in a ditch?!"  
"Give the boy a prize." Kyle said sarcastically. Alex tried to move to get a better view of his surroundings, but ended up toppling over to his side, his face kissing the slick wet Earth. "And yes, your hands are bound. All our hands are bound." Kyle said, answering the question before it was asked. Alex look over his shoulder, seeing his hands tied together by something metallic ... it wasn't rope, or tape, or anything possibly human.  
"What? Is it?"   
"Cadmium X." Tess replied simply. "Yes, it's melded."  
"I'm guessing that makes it a no-go on any escape plan?" Alex asked, shifting into a more comfortable position on the ground before using his elbow to prop him upright again.  
"Not really." Tess smiled meticulously. "We were waiting for you to wake up." She looked to Isabel and Kyle who smiled despite the fate of their current circumstances.   
"Is there...well, obviously there is, but is there... a plan?"  
"Yes," Isabel nodded, her auburn hair was slicked back from her face and water dripped down the side of her sickly pale face.   
"But we have to work fast..." Tess finished. "And be as adroit as possible ... it's going to take some duplicity..."  
"Shouldn't be too hard then." Kyle scoffed, looking at both Isabel and Tess.  
"Anyway. We just need Isabel to distract Khivar, and she can get herself free, which leaves the three of us. Once Isabel is gone, Alex use your powers of telekinesis to blow these bindings, and we'll hide nearby. I'll mind-warp the skin that patrols every now and then, into thinking we're still there. Then we can leave, and Kyle will just have to buy us as much time as we can."  
"What about Isabel?" Alex asked, the worry apparent in his voice.  
"I can take care of myself Alex. I'll be fine. We've got it all planned, we just have to be quick about it."  
"Exactly." Tess finished. She turned to Isabel. "Go."  
  
"Master... Vilandra wishes to see you." The skin said in monotone, bowing at the level ground on top of the hill before the alien dictator. Khivar looked down at the female skin with her red auburn hair hanging low and touching the murky puddles in the grass.   
"It's about time." He said gruffly. "Bring her to me." The skin dashed off and not too long later, returned, grasping Isabel tightly around the arm. Isabel could've used her powers to blow the stupid bitch to smithereens, but thought better of it. "Vilandra."  
"Khivar." Isabel replied bravely, holding her head up high as she walked to the top of the widespread hill. He smirked maliciously and waved his hand in an upward motion, as two dark thrones made and embedded with Cadmium X literally sprouted and flourished from the ground. Isabel warily made her way to the thrones and seated herself in one. The hard surface wasn't comfortable neither on back nor behind, and Isabel shifted but couldn't help but be averse to the seating arrangements. Khivar swiftly plopped himself down next to her.   
"It feels good doesn't it?" He said slowly, sitting upon his throne and scanning the horizon. "Powerful?"  
"...This is where I belong. At the top." Isabel said with vivid breath as she exhaled the scent of rain and cold air. "With you." She looked at him. For a general bastard, he wasn't hideous. It was probably why she- Vilandra had fallen for him so many eons ago. Too bad, she was not Vilandra.  
"With me?" Khivar replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm followed by a sort of growl/chuckle. "Oh, don't tell me Vilandra. This is some foolish plan made by your pathetic human friends to distract me?"  
"It's not." Isabel said hastily. Too hastily. "And if it was..." She leaned forward towards him, resting a hand gently on her shoulder. "Wouldn't you say it was working?" Isabel whispered softly. She flicked her eyes up at his, and the steely gray oculars were indeed distracted. So she made her move, and kissed him.  
  
"Done." Alex announced harshly. Kyle wriggled his hands free of the broken metallic bonding and was helped up to a standing position by Tess and Alex. He took a moment to dust the grass off of his wet once expensive clothing. Talk about a grass stain ... and pneumonia!  
"Hurry, into those bushes!" Tess said frantically, pointing to a group of bushes by the trees some 10 feet away. Ducking and trotting in the mud, causing light splashes in the forming puddles, Tess led the two men towards their destination. They reached the bushes in time and all hid behind the thick tree trunks, as a skin with long auburn bright red hair approached.   
"Do your thing." Alex whispered to Tess, giving her a supportive smile. She grinned esthetically and closed her eyes in deep concentration... Alex and Kyle watched silently as she'd frown and then lift her eyebrows patiently and then furrow them again. It shouldn't be taking this long ... suddenly Tess flicked both her eyes open and her jaw dropped.   
"Oh no." She whispered. Alex put a hand on her shoulder comfortingly.   
"Tess, what is it? Did it not work?"  
"It did... but then..." She stood up suddenly, and brushed aside the bush branches faltering their view. Alex and Kyle stood behind her and peered out into the clearing. Standing there, by a limp body of the auburn skin, was Michael Guerin and Max Evans.   
  
"Is she...dead?" Max asked carefully, looking over Michael's tall shoulders. Michael shrugged nonchalantly and turned.   
"Dammit!" He exclaimed. Max spun on his heels in time to see a blurry figure running up the hill behind them. "A skin! He's going to Khivar!"  
"It would've been unavoidable..." Max trailed off, rolling up his damp sleeves. He peered into the ditch. "Michael look..." He pointed at the strips of metallic gray laying in the dirt, bending down onto his knees and picking one up. "Cadmium X?"  
  
"You think?"  
"They were here..." Max announced, standing up and dropping the metal strip. "They're right here... really close I can feel it. I can feel all three of them."  
"Isabel, Alex, and Kyle?" Michael asked, shifting on his feet.  
"No. Alex, Kyle and... Tess."   
"Tess? Of course." Michael said, glancing around. Suddenly a bolt of lightning struck Michael in the foot sending him spiraling away from Max.   
"Michael!"  
"It's Khivar!" Michael said, pointing to the top of the hill, where a dark shadow stood out against the steely cold wind, holding another figure with him.   
"And Isabel." Max said worriedly.   
"Max!" A faint shout came from the trees and Max and Michael both turned seeing three familiar faces there.   
"Alex." Max announced, taking a step forward and then flying off his feet as an unseemly force pulled him away, skidding his body across the grassy slopes of the hill. The next thing he knew he was on his back, and after a series of faint cries, Alex had landed next to him. They were on top of the hill... and standing before them, was Khivar with Isabel clutched desperately to his side. Max quickly pulled himself onto his feet and glared at his immortal enemy. "Khivar."   
"Zan."  
"It's Max."   
"Touching." Khivar smiled. He threw Isabel down at the two men and Alex stood up quickly to catch her.   
"Is!" He straightened her and Isabel hung on dearly to his side. In the same moment, Michael emerged from the bottom of the hill.   
"Michael." Max looked over his shoulder. "Take Isabel and Alex and go!"  
"What? I'm going to kick this guy's ass Maxwell!"  
"No, no you're not!" Max yelled over the now howling wind. "Take them and take Liz and everyone else far away! This is my fight!"  
"Your fight!? That's bull Maxwell!"  
"He's right Michael, this is his fight." Isabel pleaded, limping on Alex.   
"Take her!" Max repeated. Michael knew it would only danger them all to oppose and carefully took Isabel into his arms and backed down the hill. Khivar watched with an amused face. "Alex!" Max yelled.  
"I'm not going Max!"  
"Alex, you're not as strong as Michael, you can't be here!"  
"Max, Michael's better off helping the others, but I'm better off here! This is something I also have to do! It wasn't before, but it's my battle now! He hurt Tess, and he's going to pay!"  
"Alex, you're in over your head!"  
"Listen to him, human." Khivar yawned, diminishing the two thrones to make way for a battlefield. "But I have no problem with a 2 on 1."  
"I'm not leaving!" Alex yelled.  
"Very Well." Khivar smirked, snapping both his fingers causing two bolts of lightning to protrude from the heavens, nearly missing both Max and Alex who stood their ground. Max glared with belligerence at Khivar.  
"How did you do it Khivar?" Max asked. "I'm curious..."  
"Of course you are. That's the same thing you asked me before I conquered you so many years ago. I told you, right before the final blow, that it was all your sister... then I killed you." Max curled his hands into fists at this.   
"That wasn't my sister. That was Zan's sister."  
"Right." Khivar grinned. "But since your curious... let me tell you a little story. It starts of like this... I won... You won the many battles, but I won the war. I had done it. You, Rath, Ava were all dead. I had won and I left the royal palace to retrieve one of my many prizes- your sister. However, when I returned to my quarters she was dead. She committed suicide. I rushed back to the royal palace, only to find all three dead bodies missing. You had a faithful friend... by the name of Larek. He took your remains, as well as Vilandra's and two remains of the elders, and went to the Granolith Chamber where she met up with, none other than your mother. Together they created the human alien hybrid pod from you, using informaton from a recent controversial experiment, in a hasty attempt to preserve your lives. Then they made another batch, in case something where to go wrong. Before I could stop them, they had sent you off. But I did get the pleasure of ending their miserable little lives. That's right. I killed your mother. Oh, how she begged for mercy at my-"  
"Shut up!" Max yelled in a rampage, lunging at Khivar and knocking him down. Max pelted the alien's face with his fist causing green blood to seep out through Khivar's nostrils.   
"You think you'll win this by a match of wits?" Khivar laughed, using his powers to through Max off of him. "I'm not done with the story! So I lived and ruled the kingdom of the dead, since I killed everyone... and it was not what I had depicted. Sure, the exiled skins had returned, but I realized I would not yet be satisfied... until I killed you. But there was no sign of you... or your duplicates... at all. Until... using the orbs the message from your mother was displayed before you... and I knew exactly where you were. I sent my skins... I contacted Nasedo... I made a clever deal with him and I told him where the Granolith was located. But Nasedo and his little blonde bitch failed, and you obliterated my skins. And as your precious humans say, 'if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself!' So it took me almost a whole year, but your Mother Nature seems to work into my advantage. On Antar, we have something called a stellar-"  
"A stellar lineage." Max finished, cutting him off. Alex listened carefully to both the aliens. "It's when the V constellation the 5 planets orbit in, are shifted into a straight line, basically, it's an eclipse." Max explained to Alex.   
"Amazing. You remember."  
"It just came to me."  
"A stellar lineage only happens every 351 earth years, that is 546 Antar revolutions. When the planets align like so..." Khivar pointed to the grass beneath him as 5 patches of grass darkened into the V constellation and then shifted into a straight line, and then back to the constellation again. "Power is increased 10 ten fold, and you already know how powerful I am. This lineage, can allow a simple alien to open a black hole in space with their very thoughts- a more advanced alien could open up a can of worms. I had planned to use this eclipse to open up a very peticular can of worms."  
"Heaven." Alex muttered, glaring at Khivar.  
"Please, not just Heaven. Hell, as well. I mean, my entire army was down there in that confounded earthen underworld of yours! If I had a choice, you wouldn't be here." Khivar said, glancing at Alex. "Heaven and Hell are your Earth's forces of balance. Good and Bad, Holy and Evil, etc... Releasing only one of them... could have disastrous effects... in a kindred explanation- your world would tip over on it's axis and fall into space... eventually the outer pressures would force it to combust, as well."  
"I didn't know you cared so much." Max said sarcastically, watching as Khivar paced back and forth.   
"Please. Do you think I wanted to revive my forces, which would return to the location of their demise, and then have the planet explode? Quite, silly, and oh, idiotic don't you agree?" Max and Alex simply glanced at each other and then back at Khivar.  
"Are you done yet?" Alex asked, "I've been waiting for a while now to kick some ass."  
"If you say so. I've waited so long for this... " Khivar trailed off, stopping in the middle of his pacing before the two men and spreading his feet apart. Without warning he lifted his hand and a translucent orange beam shot out of it, straight towards them. Max was quicker and with a wave of his hand, a green forcefield was in front of him and Alex, the orange laser reflected off of Max's field and shot up towards the sky. Once again, without expectation, Khivar launched a volley of orange missiles at them, bombarding Max's forcefield as he struggled to keep it up. "You can't hide under there forever!"  
"On three..." Max shouted to Alex, over the volley of orange neon missiles. Alex nodded. "One... two... three!" And the forcefield vanished...  
  
"Tess! Liz! Come on!" Michael yelled to the two girls still standing at the foot off the hill. The same look reflected in each one's eyes. In Liz's amber honey oculars, the worry, love, and commitment of her relationship with Max. In Tess's shiny blue pools were the concern, adoration and love of Alex Whitman. Michael didn't have time for this... He ran towards them, grabbing each by the arm. "Let's go!"  
"I can't!" Liz and Tess protested in unison. They both looked at each other in surprise, they probably hadn't even notice they had been standing there together for about 5 minutes, watching the orange, green and various colorful sparks fly from the hill.   
"Alex is still up there!" Tess cried, yanking her arm away from Michael's grasp."I'm not leaving!"  
"Fine! See if I care if you get blown up!" Michael shouted. "Come on Liz." He led her back towards the trees where everyone else was waiting desperately. Liz looked over her shoulder at Tess who watched the battle vividly. Liz tore her hand free of Michael and ran to her grandma and Maria.   
"Grandma!" Liz exclaimed, throwing her arms around her grandma and hugging her tightly. "Do you remember, when you told me... if it wasn't complicated it isn't love?"  
"Of course I do. It was the wisest thing I ever told you..." Claudia said, stroking her grand daughter's hair.  
"Grandma... it's complicated."  
"I know. I understand. Go."  
"Wait, what's going on?" Maria asked in confusion, staring at her best friend in perplexion. Liz threw her arms around Maria as well.   
"My husband needs me." With that she pulled away and pushed past Michael, running with all the speed she could muster until she returned to Tess's side, holding the stitch in her stomach. "Tess! Let's go!"  
"Finally, I knew you'd come back." Tess commented. With that, the two girls quickly made their way back up the hill...   
  
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Alex screamed as he was thrust onto his back with a loud snap, crackle, and indeed, a pop. Max waved his arm forward, sending Khivar flying backwards as well before running to Alex's side and placing his hand under Alex's back. The soft white light emitted as he began to heal the fractures.   
"Alex!" Tess shouted, running to his side, with Liz trailing behind. Max looked up suddenly, and stood up in alarm after healing Alex, who was helped up by Tess.   
"What are you doing here?" He said frantically to Liz, and then gave Tess an accusing look.  
"Max, I came here, because I had to be your side, the way Tess needs to be by Alex's side!" Liz said urgently, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I'm not letting you do this alone. You said yourself that we decide our own destinies Max, that's what we're doing, that's what we're all doing, and your destiny isn't going to repeat itself, because you're not going to be finished by him!" Liz said, her eyes watering.  
"Liz, I-" Suddenly by some supernatural gravitational pull, Max was falling forward through the air, pushed into Liz, whom he wrapped his arms around protectively as they were pushed off the hill and falling down with rapid speed.  
"Liz!" Alex yelped, looking behind him as the two stumbled down. He looked frantically to Tess who looked just as shocked. He looked back at Khivar who approached rapidly towards them. Tess quickly held up her hand, the cerulean beam of fluorescence flashed out and hitting Khivar straight in the heart. He dropped onto his knees quickly and Tess held onto Alex tightly and waited... "Tess, you didn't... kill him... did you?" Alex whispered. Tess shook her head.  
"I couldn't have... Max's powers surpass mine... and Khivar is too strong... it's impossible." Tess said softly, staring at the lifeless form. Suddenly, the seemingly dead body convulsed and using it's hands-er claws, jumped backwards onto his huge feet. It was the most gruesome sight they had ever seen... a green alligator skinned face, and arms of 3 tentacles protruding. The torso was far too large and ripped the human clothing that was worn. What must've been his hair, were 3 jagged spikes that immersed from the crown of his head and were stained with blood, like his yellow venom eyes and even yellowed fanged teeth. It was a hideous sight; the monstrous creature was the wailing quintessence of all belligerences and the enmity of evil itself.   
"What the fu..." Alex trailed off, he grimaced at Khivar wide-eyed, not in terror, but in shocking disgust.  
"It's... it's his real form." Tess said softly.  
  
  
  
"Max! Liz!" Isabel ran forward, helping her brother and his wife onto their feet. Max didn't waste any time to brush himself off and turned to Liz.  
"Are you all right?" He asked with concern. Liz opened her mouth to answer when a loud agonizing roar cut her off. The three all looked to the top of the hill; Alex and Tess's forms emerged, running down frantically hand in hand. "What's happening..." Max trailed off, holding his arm and healing it quickly. All of a sudden, the green protruding monster rose high and followed them with slow yet gargantuan steps. On his hind legs, he stood at about 15 feet tall and loomed over them. Tess and Alex made it to Isabel, Max and Liz, and now Michael had joined them as well.   
"Holy shit." Michael muttered. "Maxwell... think fast."  
"I'm going to fight it." Max said simply.  
"Don't you get it- you beat it up badly enough and it keeps getting stronger!" Michael protested.   
"It didn't happen like this last time... he didn't do this. That means I've gotten stronger as well."   
"Then the battle's not over, and we still have to fight." Alex said from beside them. Max turned to Alex.  
"I don't think I can stop you."  
"No way, no how."  
"And you can't stop us either." Tess said, holding onto Alex's hand dearly and glancing at Liz. Liz smiled up at Max.   
"It's going to take a lot of us to kick that thing's ass..." Michael trailed off. He shrugged. "What the hell, what have we got to lose?"  
"The ones we love. Which is why we have to do this." Alex said, grinning goofishly at the most un-appropriate time.   
"Agh!" Max turned around just in time as Khivar hauled up on him, ready to strike, but Max sent him backwards. It was harder to use his telekinesis- Khivar weighing a hell lot more now and all that. Liz quickly linked hands with Max and Michael stepped in between Tess and Liz, closing the gap. Isabel took Alex's other hand and they all faced the coming alien. Khivar growled a shrieking sound far worse than a banshee and opening his mouth, yielding a bright yellow ray to come towards them. "Now!" Max yelled. Putting all of their concentration, energy, and most of all, love and emotions- pouring it through each other as it emitted from Max's hand in one brilliant flash of blinding soft white.   
"Whoa." Alex breathed out, opening his eyes to look at the spectacle as the two beams met and refracted slightly at the crash into another. Sparks shed and flew, but they all stood their ground. It was an exhilarating moment... and indeed it only lasted a moment as their astonishment grew when Khivar's streak of yellow started to pulverize it's way towards them slowly, defeating the white glow. Isabel unwilling let out a startled cry, but turned her head curiously when she felt someone take her hand. She smiled warmly at Kyle who had his hands linked with Maria as well. Liz looked over her shoulder back to the woods where she could make out Courtney standing shyly but watching intricately, with Grandma Claudia.  
"Go." Grandma Claudia said to the young blonde girl. "They need you. I'll be fine." With that, Courtney sprang forth from the trees and ran towards the group. She pushed her way through into Tess and Michael's hands and grinned up at Michael. With the addition of the three, well two aliens powerates and one 100% human, their beam was vitally charged up a great degree. So much in fact, that Khivar let out another agonizingly bloody shriek.   
"You don't want to defeat me!" Khivar roared. "I am the master of the heavens and hells- if you defeat me, your friends will join me in death! You won't accomplish anything!" Liz frowned and almost dropped her hand from Max as she leaned forward to look at Alex and Tess with sympathy. Alex returned a weak smile and looked down at Tess. With that smile that you could read his feeling so clearly, Alex slowly nodded his head at Liz reassuringly. A few silver tears slid down Liz's cheek for her best friend and she turned boldly to face the alien monster. Then something horrible happened. Their connection was weaker! Somehow, when Liz had paused, the energy that had built up so greatly had gone down. And now it was taking its toll on Max! The alien king let out a painful gasp, and using his free hand to clutch a pain in his side.   
"Max!" Liz yelled, looking at him frantically. As Max dropped to his knees the power to their connection had weakened twice as much now. They were doomed.  
"He's targeting his powers on Max!" Tess yelled. "He was trying to fight us all of, but he realizes he can defeat us by eliminating the most powerful!" The monster roared with an evil sickening laughter as shrill as a banshee did. Tempting enough to make the Roswellians let go of their firm grip of each other to cover their ears.   
"What do we do!?" Isabel shouted, looking at Tess as if the answer was clearly written across her face. Tess looked helplessly at Alex and then to Max and Liz then back to Isabel.  
"I don't think there's anything we can do." She replied softly.  
"I can try to heal Max!" Alex shouted, almost letting go of Tess's hand.  
"Alex, don't break the connection!" Tess said quickly. "It wouldn't help anyway, it would take away your power from the group as well!"  
"Pathetic fools. Don't you realize that the only way you'd defeat me is with the power of another king, which you have already lost?" Khivar boomed, using his powers to elicit another gasp from Max who was now in such bad shape he lay on the grass in seizures and convulsions with Liz bending down, trying not to break her grip but to keep her husband safe as well.   
"We're done. We're done. This is it." Michael said simply, shaking his head and clicking his tongue.  
  
"Wellz, if they need anudder king, guess dat's what I'm here fo?" A strange voice interrupted them from behind the Roswellians. (A/N: Guess! Guess who the special guest star is! GUESS!) Tess looked over her shoulder, sweeping her wet blonde hair around. Her jaw dropped and she nearly let go herself...   
"Zan!?" She practically shrieked in disbelief.  
"ZAN!" Michael yelled frantically, looking over his shoulder to get a glimpse of Max's dupe. Zan stepped forward from the shadows of the treetops. The remaining white light glowed against his face. Placing his hands on his hips and examining the battle field moment for a few moments, he finally spoke.   
"Sorry fo da delay. You know howz it iz, being dead n shit." Zan shrugged.   
"Zan, please help us!" Alex shouted.   
"No shit sherlock, what else am I doin' here?" Zan said, walking forward and pushing himself between Michael and Liz, taking their hands. "Let'z get this ova with, and let me show you how'z it'z done!" Zan exclaimed. Liz and Michael simply watched in awe, as Zan squeezed his eyes shut and you could tell he was concentrating exactly. Within a few moments a golden wave of energy in the form of light had gleamed off of Zan's body and the light surrounded Liz and Michael, spreading towards the end of the chain and revitalizing Max who was brought back to his feet. "A'ight, let'z do this!" Zan exclaimed, snapping his eyes open energetically. "I've been waiting for this for a long time Khivar!"  
"This is impossible! Of all the foul things to happen!" Khivar roared. "TWO OF YOU!"   
"Don't forget us!" Alex recoiled, signaling to the rest of them. Khivar simply glared and opened his mouth, the streaks of yellow energy shooting like pistols and bullets from his jaw. They were no match for the energy Zan had awakened in them all, including 100% human Maria who glowed with excitement. Zan leaned over Liz and nodded in a signal to Max, who slowly raised his weak and battered arm up at Khivar. Within seconds, the most phenomenal thing (besides Alex and Tess falling in love) had happened. It was like a photon ray, or some sonic boom, sheer rejuvenation. The alien nuclear bomb. It had erupted from Maxwell's hand in a burst of vivid colors, every single color of the spectrum imaginable. And it had gone in all directions. Thrusting Earth's self proclaimed and destined warriors to the ground and slicing into Khivar. Slicing into Khivar so much that he was blown back so far, to the extreme that-  
"He's dead." Alex said softly, lifting himself to his elbows and adjusting to the mud beneath his battle battered body.   
"Oh my gosh." Tess exclaimed, rolling over on her side so that she faced Alex. Alex laid his head back down in the grass and wrapped an arm around Tess, pulling her head down onto his chest. He listened to her faint soft and shallow breathing and she listened to his rapid heartbeats as they gradually slowed down.   
"We did it." Alex smiled, kissing her forehead. "We did it."  
  
A/N: And now... the real fluff!  
  
"How much time do you think we have?" Tess said softly, sitting down on an old log in the tree covered outskirts of the hill. The hill. It would be like some sort of a landmark now. The trees had shrunken back and the rain had ceased, leaving the view of a clear stellar starlight sky. However, the embedded burn marks of the royal seal of Antar forever scarred the top of the grassy slope.   
"Not much." Alex said, from his place leaning against the tree. They had found themselves a nice little place in the privacy of the trees, while the others made preparations outside in the clearing. Their friends had been more than happy to give them time to their selves after the most grueling battle either of them had ever been through. They were scratched, slashed, muffled, and caked. But it wasn't bothering them as much as they thought. The impending return to doom was the true discomfort.   
"Do you think it will hurt?" Tess asked, placing her head in her hands and rubbing her sore and tired eyes.   
"Not as much as what we've been through." Alex said simply, turning to face her. Tess flashed him a quick smile, but it soon faded.   
"Did it hurt... the first time?"  
"Tess..." Alex trailed off, leaving his post at the tree and quickly sitting down next to her on the log. "Please don't think about that." He pleaded, placing his hands on her shoulders and rubbing her bare and cold shoulders to return warmth to them. "It doesn't matter anymore."  
"Alex, how can you just forget about that!?" Tess exclaimed, trying to wipe the coming tears before Alex could see them flowing down, but it was too late. "... Ever since we kissed..." Tess left her sentence unfinished and turned her gaze to the ground.   
"Ever since we kissed..." Alex repeated, moving a hand from her shoulders to stroke her cheek gently. "Tell me..."  
"I can't." Tess said, biting her lip and crossing her arms protectively around herself.  
"Please." Alex coerced, tilting her chin gently so that she faced him. Tess let out a stifled sniffle and shook her head. There was only one thing Alex had left to say. "I think you owe it to me, to tell me." He knew the words were memoirs and harsh ones at that. But he needed to know what was troubling her, especially if it had something to do with him.  
"I've been wondering if I've been mind-warping you without even intending to!" Tess blurted, wiping her eyes with the backs of her hands furiously, turning them red and swollen.  
"Shh. Shh." Alex gently pulled her hands from her eyes and looked at the wrecked blonde beside him with as much understanding as he could. "It's not a mind-warp Tess. It's not a mind-warp."  
"But, all the other times I've mind-warped since we came back, what if it affected you, what if some hidden desire-"  
"Tess. It was a two way street. You know that. I had tried to deny it for awhile, but... you got to me Tess. You really bore down into my soul, and your persistence and wishes for my forgiveness... it meant more to me than I'll ever know. People who aren't serious will continuously pester and beg till they get what they want. You never did that, and you gave me my space, and I knew you were real, just from that. And I'm going to repeat myself; it was not a mind-warp. I really do love you, Tess Harding." Alex looked down into her crystal blue eyes and leaning his head downwards, kissed her tears away tenderly. He felt her shiver at his touch and used his arms to embrace her lovingly.   
"I love you." Tess whispered softly, moving her lips up to meet his. Tess felt her heart race and tears of joy brimming at the edge of her eyes as she flashed them open to see Alex smile against her cheery lips. Instinctively, she raised her hands slowly; placing them gently over Alex's quickly beating heart, as they didn't break their kiss. After a few moments of silence, Alex pulled away slightly.   
"We don't have much time left." Alex said, repeating what he had said earlier.  
"I know." Tess said, looking up at him eye to eye. "You said that." She smiled slightly.  
"Tess, I-" He cut himself off quickly, feeling a flush of something like guilt and love at the same time run through him. "I can't believe what I was thinking."  
"I know what you were thinking." Tess said, nodding nervously. They didn't need words. The desire and love for each other was visible to the naked eye. "Alex, would you, only if you would, I um. Alex, er..."  
"Tess, it's just that well, we never really had a chance to live, and maybe some type of force is giving us time, time to be with each other. I mean, we'll never have a wedding or anything and uh-"  
"Yeah. Yeah." Tess nodded. "It's just hard to say... usually... it spontaneously happens. But it's really true when you ask." Tess said, biting her lip. "Alex, will you make love to me?"  
"Only if you're sure." Alex whispered.  
"Are you sure?"  
"I love you Tess, I'm sure as hell. Er- heaven." He chuckled nervously. Tess smiled nervously and simply nodded. Placing his hands on the log they were sitting on, and using his new-found powers stretched the log to the size of a king sized bed and smoothed it out to the softness of one. Cradling Tess Harding gently in his arms, he laid her down on the makeshift bed and then lowered himself next to her, planting a kiss gently on her lips...  
  
(A/N: Yeah I can't write smut. I'm 14; it's a pG-13 story. Shoo!)  
  
Tess slowly opened her eyes and took in her surroundings. It was still dark and the stars shone brightly in the sky, it was probably a couple hours after midnight, and that meant they had only got around an hour of sleep. Turning herself around she found herself wrapped up in a soft blanket and facing her love. Alex Whitman. She caressed his cheek gently, causing him to stir. His eyes fluttered open swiftly and he smiled as his oculars quickly met up to hers.  
"Hey." He said softly.  
"Hi." Tess whispered. Alex leaned forward and kissed her softly, trailing his tongue against her lips until they parted. After a few moments of passionate kisses they parted again. Alex looked down at the blanket wrapped around them.   
"This wasn't here before." He smirked, eyeing the blanket.  
"Alex, I didn't want Liz or Max or anyone else accidentally walking in here...," Tess said chuckling as she planted another kiss on Alex's lips. "Oh." Tess pulled away quickly.  
"What?" Alex asked, his face filled with concern.  
"I don't know... I just felt this weird... tingly sensation go through me?"  
"Even an hour after?" Alex chuckled, the male in his ego brimming out. "I'm flattered."  
"Sorry Alex, but it's not that... it's... I don't know..."  
"I feel it to." Alex said suddenly. The two simply looked at each other. "We should get changed." Instinctively they both grabbed their clothes, putting them back on. Alex took the blanket from the log and draped it around Tess' shoulders. Taking her hand in his the two walked from their hidden cove in the forest to the base of the hill where the others were gathered.   
  
"I can't believe you'z actually married dis dork!" Zan exclaimed, pointing to Max, who crossed his arms defensively. "I know we're good looking but he's so-"  
"Zan, I wouldn't finish that sentence." Max smirked, walking over and putting an arm around Liz.   
"Zan, did you ever see Ava again?" Liz asked suddenly.   
"Eh." Zan looked up at the starry sky for a moment then back down. "Yeah. I died in New York so'z naturally, I returned there. Of course, I see her. With a baby. A baby named Zan, but still a baby, and I swear it's not mine." Zan chuckled.  
"Named Zan?" Liz repeated, her eyes wide. She looked at Max who seemed awful alarmed. "Don't worry Max. He's in good hands."  
"Anyway. Oh. Whoa. There's that feeling again!" Zan exclaimed.  
"Max!" Alex pulled Tess towards the big group. "We're getting the same feeling."  
"Do you think this could be it?" Tess said worriedly.   
"I, I don't know." Max confessed.   
"Oh my god!" Liz exclaimed suddenly. "Alex, you, your growing...wings!" Alex's eyes popped out of their sockets as he looked over his shoulder to be greeted by a pair of soft, white, feathery, and real angel wings. Zan and Tess were also welcomed by this strange experience and watched in amazement.  
"Whoa." Kyle blinked.   
"Kinda makes you jealous, huh?" Maria said, tilting her head.  
"Don't be jealous." Zan scoffed. "These babies come with a price." He said, signaling to the wings on his back.  
"I don't know. I'm pretty jealous." Isabel smiled, glancing at Alex and Tess. "But some things are just meant to be... and some thing aren't."  
"Well, I guess it'z bye. It was phat, meeting you all." Zan shrugged. "I got some scores to settle back up there though." With an evil smirk he looked up towards the dusty blue sky and levitated off of the ground a couple of feet. There was a pause and then he shot towards the sky at rocket speed, and grew transparent as he went. In the dark sky a beam of holy light from the clouds had opened up, welcoming his soul, and just like THAT! He was gone.   
"Liz." Alex stepped forward and gave his best friend a quick hug. Maria quickly joined in. "I'm glad that this time, I get a chance to say good bye."  
"Alex, take care of yourself." Maria sniffled.  
"No, you take of yourselves." Alex corrected, giving them an extra hug.  
"We're always thinking of you." Liz added with a sad smile.  
"I know. And I was always watching over you guys." He gave them each a kiss on the cheek and moved over to Kyle. "Dude..."  
"Aw, come here man." Kyle said, pulling Alex into a hug. "That was pretty fun. The whole journey through the forest thing." Kyle chuckled nervously. "I'm sorry I never got to say it before... but you were one of the only real friends I ever had. I was really torn..."  
"Don't be." Alex said, cutting him off. "You told me, and I appreciate it. I think we made up for lost time." He gave Kyle and extra smile and moved onto to the aliens. "Thanks for everything. Healing me, and letting me fight, and taking care of Liz and Maria, you guys..." He gave Max and Michael a handshake and a hug.   
"Take care." Max smiled. Alex nodded and gave Max a salute. "Aye, aye cap'n."  
"Now there's the Alex we all know." Michael chuckled. Alex gave him a goofy grin and proceeded onto to Isabel.   
"Hey." Isabel said softly.  
"Hi." Alex said simply. Isabel admired him for a few moments then pulled him into a quick hug.   
"Good luck." Was all she could say as she released him from her grasp.  
"Yeah. You too." Alex nodded, walking back to Tess's side. Tess smiled at Alex and then stepped forwards, towards Liz.  
"Liz..."  
"Tess, we already cleared out our differences." Liz said, thinking back to when she sacrificed herself.  
"I know, but I wanted to thank you again." Tess said simply.   
"Well, thank you too. For being there for Alex." Liz smiled. Tess grinned and moved over to Kyle, giving him a hug.   
"Bye Buddha Boy."  
"Bye, sis." Kyle grinned giving her a hug. Tess walked over to Max, Michael, and Isabel. Uneasily, she began what she needed to say.  
"I'm sorry. For anything and everything, every pain and hurt that I caused you three." Max nodded as understandingly as possible, Michael simply shrugged and Isabel smiled while clasping her hands behind her back. Tess gave the Pod Squad a weak smile and walked back to Alex's side.   
"I can feel it. This is it." Alex said with a deep breath. Tess nodded and leaned against him as he wrapped an arm around her, his wings flapping peacefully.   
"You know, Alex. Just because we're in Heaven, doesn't mean we still can't do the bad thing." Tess grinned seductively.   
"You think?" Alex smiled widely.  
"Not the time, or the place!" Maria called out jokingly.   
"We'll have to see." Tess shrugged. Alex grinned and leaned forward, embracing her and kissing her softly as the spirits that be lifted them up towards the sky, and towards their final Heaven.   
  
We never saw Alex or Tess again. Not to mention another skin, Zan, or anyone else. Shortly after Alex and Tess had left, Grandma Claudia and Courtney had also joined the others. And it was just the five of us once again. It was lonely. I missed them all, Grandma, Alex, even Courtney and Tess. There was a bond when everyone was together, and you felt invincible. We were invincible for that short time. Now, we're all alone again and all we have is each other. We're still running from the FBI, of course. I don't know if we'll ever escape them, but I don't worry about it much anymore. I said when we were together, we were invincible, but I know that Alex and Grandma are watching over me, and that in itself contributes enough strength to me. Then there's Max. He is what supplies the rest of the strength, and I try to give back to him. Speaking of Max, we are currently on our way to New York to visit a friend. It seemed out of question at first... Max was concerned about my feelings. You know, these things stay with you forever. But thanks to Alex and Tess, I think I am okay with it. Love conquers all doesn't it? I wasn't even sure I believed that until I saw them both again. As for the hill, well it's the latest tourist attraction since Roswell hit it big. Some witnesses living close by said they saw a bunch of colored lights and heard loud explosive sounds. By the time the police arrived, all they were left to were the burnt remains of the Antar constellation on the top of the hill. Oh, here we are at a local New York City hotel, time to unpack and transform, once again. If you're wondering how we got the van back, well, we didn't. We got a new one. It's been easier for us to move around and stay and motels and stuff lately as we get farther away from our past. Some people say to treasure the past, but now I have to say, don't dwell on it.   
  
Finishing her train of thought, Liz Parker turned around, grabbing her bag from the new van's seat. As she yanked it upwards, a few slips of glossy paper slipped out and fell down onto the car seat. Picking it up gently, and flipping it over she met the photograph of Alex and Tess, arms draped around each other in a friend fashion, with Alex obviously holding the camera in front of them. Smiling to herself, she slipped the photo back into her bag gently, and followed her husband into the motel.  
  
The End.  
  
  
A/N: Ahhh! I finished! Ahhh! Why am I screaming? I don't know, because I've finished and it feels all funny!   
  
MagnusXXN- He got his wings! He got his wings, that was for you!  
  
Chrissy- The calling Max a dork line was for you. :P  
  
THANK YOU EVERYONE! KEEP SHIPPING (ESPECIALLY ALEX/TESS)!  
  
-Sibby/In Fair Verona 


End file.
